SOCIETY OF ST. VINCENT DE PAUL ANNOUNCED AS ONELIFE LA 2022 AWARD RECIPIENT
January 18, 2022  |  By:   |  Press Releases  |  

Thousands of people are expected to gather back in-person on Saturday, January 22, 2022, at OneLife LA, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles’ celebration of the beauty and dignity of life from conception to natural death. During the event, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Los Angeles will receive the third annual OneLife LA Service Award of $10,000 to support its mission to serve the poor and the homeless of any religion for free. St. Vincent de Paul exemplifies the mission and vision of Archbishop José H. Gomez for OneLife LA, which states that “every person has a sanctity and dignity that cannot be diminished by illness or disability, and cannot be limited by race, age, sex or social condition.”

“We are so grateful for the staff and volunteers of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, specifically for their amazing dedication and service to the people of God during this time of pandemic,” said Michael P. Donaldson, senior director of the Archdiocese’s Office of Life, Justice, and Peace. “The Society of St. Vincent de Paul not only meets the basic needs of our brothers and sisters in the community, but the members of the Society also fill hearts with hope. They truly deserve to be awarded the OneLife LA Grant for 2022.”

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul Los Angeles is a Catholic volunteer-based organization that helps the underserved become self-sufficient by providing financial and emotional support, food, clothing, furniture, appliances, and resources to connect them to helpful sources in Los Angeles.

“The Society of St. Vincent de Paul leads women and men to join together to grow spiritually by offering person-to-person service to those who are needy and suffering,” said David Garcia, the organization’s executive director. “SVDP has been serving the poor in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles since 1908. We are happy to be partnering with OneLife LA in promoting the beauty and dignity of every human life.”

Founded in Paris, France in 1833, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Los Angeles established its first conference of charity (similar to chapters or ministries) in Los Angeles in the early 20th Century, which have grown to conferences in nearly all the 288 parishes of the tri-county (Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties) Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Among others, it serves the disadvantaged through its thrift stores in Los Angeles and Long Beach, providing clothing and furniture. It delivers food to the homebound, especially during the ongoing pandemic, provides rental/bill assistance, it drives seniors and people with medical conditions to grocery stores and doctor’s appointments, and it serves thousands weekly through its food pantries and soup kitchens.

During last year’s virtual edition of OneLife LA the award recipient was Harvest Home, a non-profit organization that pursues to transform the lives of homeless pregnant women and their children by providing housing, financial support, and programs that equip women to become great mothers.

OneLife LA seeks to promote a culture of life, where every human life is dignified, especially the most vulnerable and marginalized. Spearheaded by the Archdiocese’s Office of Life, Justice and Peace, OneLife LA was celebrated virtually in January 2021 due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic but returns in-person on January 22nd. To see more highlights of OneLife LA 2021, please visit Virtual #OneLifeLA 2021 – YouTube

For more information, or to register for OneLife LA 2022, visit onelifela.org or #1lifela. For more information about the Society of St. Vincent the Paul and to donate or volunteer, visit svdpla.org.

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