History of St. Vincent de Paul
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is one of the oldest charities in the world.
It was founded nearly 175 years ago, in 1833, by a young student in France, Frederic Ozanam.
The 20-year-old Ozanam was a Catholic, but he wanted to help the poor of all religions during
the industrial revolution.
He also thought that helping his peers put their words into action - actually helping
the poor instead of just talking about what should be done - would improve their lives as well.
Ozanam found the society in the name of St. Vincent de Paul, a priest who lived in France
in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. In his day, he workd to alert people to many of society's ills.
The work that started in France in 1833 had spread to the United States by 1845,
when the Council of the United States was founded in St. Louis, MO. The cause continued to spread,
and the Society now is active on five continents, in 135 countries. There are more than 750,000 members,
or Vincentians.
Our St. Vincent de Paul thrift store was established in 1969 to fill requests for clothing.
At first we operated out of the basement of Sacred Heart Parish, later moving to a series of other buildings
as we grew and expanded our inventory and mission. We now operate out of buildings and land we own on
West College Avenue in Appleton, and are able to offer furniture, appliances and household items,
as well as clothing, to community customers and also, free of charge, to clients identified as having a need.
The income from the store comprises the main funding source for the works of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Appleton.