Paying it forward, one family at a time
Once a week, Regina Myers and her fellow Vincentians pack up boxes of food in the back of their car, grab their clipboard, and go into the homes of neighbors in need to bring them support and listen to what’s going on in their lives.
Vincentians are volunteers who operate SVdP’s 80 food pantries and bill assistance centers out of local Catholic churches around central and northern Arizona.
“When we walk into someone’s home as a Vincentian, we don’t judge. We don’t care what’s happened elsewhere. We’re there for you right there today. We’re the hands and feet of Jesus,” Regina said. “That’s what I picture every time I walk into someone’s house.”
She meets families in the Arcadia area around her parish of St. Theresa’s, and talks with them about their needs. Every day, she sees the overwhelming need for homelessness prevention support firsthand.
Many families she visits are living paycheck-to-paycheck, so unexpected expenses, like a medical issue, a large car repair, or even sick children whose parents need to stay home to care for them but don’t have paid time off, can send families into crisis.
“There are so many people in need,” Regina said. “For me, I just talked with a single mom with two little kids, and she really needed help. And it’s just so important for us to have those funds because our conference can only give $400 right now in a 12-month period. That’s nothing! That might help someone who’s a little bit short, but that won’t help someone who is two months behind and getting evicted.”
Unfortunately, there is a limited amount of funding available per family, but Angels on Call allows SVdP to be more flexible in supporting the individual needs of a family.
As a longtime St. Vincent de Paul donor, Vincentian, SVdP Scholarship Program mentor, and volunteer in the Family Dining Room, Regina knew she could do more to make a difference.
She and her husband Chikk decided last year to offer a $7,500 matching gift for donations to SVdP’s Angels on Call program to support homelessness prevention. That campaign raised $7,943 from 31 donors. Angels on Call is a SVdP donor program that allows community members to be part of the solution in preventing homelessness.
When a family walks through SVdP’s doors and requests rent assistance, social work staff complete an assessment to determine eligibility and needs. Once confirmed, our staff identifies a family who could avoid homelessness and be stable with a little bit of rent help, their story is shared through the Angels on Call program app and website experience, offering donors the chance to know the exact family they are helping. Donors can set giving preferences and receive push notifications when they are matched with a family in need.
This year, Regina and Chikk increased their match to $10,000!
“Even though we can’t solve this problem right now, I trust God that one family at a time I can make a difference."
“Even though we can’t solve this problem right now, I trust God that one family at a time I can make a difference,” Regina said. “And homelessness prevention, if we can help in our Conference five families, then I believe that that’s making a difference for those people. And that has to be good enough for me because I know I can’t fix the whole thing, but St. Vincent de Paul is a lot bigger than me and there’s a lot of people like me so let’s do it together and make a dent.”
For Regina, it’s about more than supporting those in need in the community. She wants to pay it forward after needing help herself.
About 20 years ago, she was a single mom of six and found herself in need of financial help to be able to pay her mortgage. She didn’t know about SVdP then, but she found that support from those in her parish. They got together to help her pay her mortgage and support her family so that they could stay in their home.
“My church, St. Theresa, is where my children went to school and that’s where we went to church, and so they were just my people,” she said. “So, when I advanced past that place in my life I knew I wanted to give back.”
Now, whether it’s a gift of $50 or $500 she’s hoping that their matching gift will inspire and encourage others to get involved and give what they can.
“We just need to get more people involved,” Regina said. “If us saying we’re going to match your gift, if that helps somebody want to give $50. I know what all those little $25 or $50 can do. I see it.”
