1. Donate school supplies and uniforms for the children staying at our Gateway Shelter and in our Supportive Housing Programs.
2. Invite a speaker from St. Vincent de Paul to talk to your group or organization.
3. Volunteer your craftsman skills in our Wood Shop to teach and mentor clients learning a trade.
4. Shop at our St. Vincent de Paul Community Stores.
5. Save those personal-sized shampoos, soaps, lotions, etc. when you travel and donate them to our Gateway Shelters. Toothpaste, toothbrushes and deodorant are needed too.
6. Participate in the annual Friends of the Poor® Walk on the 4th Saturday in September.
7. Volunteer to answer phones and greet visitors at one of our Gateway shelters or the DePaul Center.
8. Contact us if you know that your company or organization offers grants or charitable contributions and provide us with the appropriate contact information.
9. Donate clothing, including seasonal items such as coats.
10. Make a financial contribution of cash or stock.
11. Volunteer to sort, date and shelve food and personal care items donated to our Gateway Shelters.
12. Donate bath towels, hand towels and washcloths for our shelter guests. Any condition is welcomed. Towels that are excessively worn are cut into washcloths.
13. Consider interviewing or hiring people in our programs who need an entry-level opportunity to make a new start.
14. Volunteer your clerical skills in our Administrative Office.
15. Designate St. Vincent de Paul to receive a portion of your contribution if you participate in the annual United Way or Combined Charitable Campaign.
16. Arrange to have leftover food delivered to the shelter if you or your company is planning a catered event.
17. Mentor clients in our supportive housing programs.
18. Friend St. Vincent de Paul on Facebook and share with your network news about homelessness, poverty and how they can help us help others.
19. Donate sheet sets — twin-sized are especially needed.
We welcome volunteers who sew and can transform
larger sizes into twin sets.
20. Golf in the annual Gene Westendorf Memorial Golf Tournament on the 4th Friday in July.
21. Volunteer to tutor children in our after-school tutoring programs.
22. Host a dinner, cocktail party, cookout or other gathering and ask your guests to make a contribution to St. Vincent de Paul.
23. Buy sandwich foods, snacks and drinks and make Sack Lunches for our shelter guests to take to work or school.
24. Tell your family, friends, neighbors and co-workers about
St. Vincent de Paul.
25. Volunteer to launder bedding and towels at one of our Gateway Shelters for the homeless.
26. Organize a group to purchase, prepare and serve a meal to our homeless guests at a Gateway Shelter.
27. Advocate for those who are in poverty or homeless. Our website has facts you can use to facilitate dialogue.
28. Donate gently-used furniture including beds, dressers, kitchen tables and chairs, coffee tables, end tables, couches and love seats.
29. Multiply the impact of your financial donation by completing the necessary forms if your company makes matching gifts.
30. Donate bicycles for our men, women and children clients
who live in our 94-units of supportive housing.
31. Order box lunches from our Catering Services. (Limited delivery area.)
32. Sort through your holiday decorations and donate them anytime of year to our Community Store for sale at the annual Vinnie’s Christmas Shoppe held each October.
33. Join the Ozanam Society by notifying us of a planned gift in
your will.
34. Get involved with the St. Vincent de Paul Conference at your parish or university.
35. Share your overflow fruits and vegetables from your garden at our Gateway Shelters.
36. Volunteer or donate new/used items to assemble Starter Kits of linens, cooking and eating utensils for guests to set up housekeeping when they are referred to housing.
37. Vote for Montgomery County’s Human Services Levy, which provides funding to St. Vincent de Paul.
38. Organize a food drive for our Gateway Shelters, Supportive Housing Programs or Food Pantries.
39. Choose St. Vincent de Paul for a service project if your organization or company is planning a community service day.
40. Donate an auto, truck, boat, RV or motorcycle to our Vehicle Donation Program.
41. Donate items to help us with our littlest guests. Baby items especially needed are diapers (sizes 5, 6 & 7), ointment, bottles, bottle brushes, and baby wipes.
42. Volunteer to assist our Guest Attendants in helping to meet guests’ needs in the evening after dinner.
43. Donate new flip flops/shower shoes for adults and children at our Gateway Shelters.
44. Volunteer at our Food Pantry to pre-package food or distribute to our clients.
45. Organize a fan drive for St. Vincent de Paul to distribute to those vulnerable to scorching summer temperatures.
46. Provide a special experience to our guests by offering your professional services for free haircuts, manicures, pedicures, or chair massages to clients in our shelters and programs.
47. Volunteer to sort donations at our Community Store or during the holidays at the Gateway for Women & Families.
48. Recycle books, including encyclopedias, through our
Community Store.
49. Pray for us and those we serve.
50. Share these 50 Ways with others.


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