Blessings in the Chaos
John McCalla, VP of the St. Vincent de Paul food bank.
turning to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul by Kari Short
D
espite the unimaginable chaos and strain of 2020, much still exists in Kerr County to warrant thankfulness during the holidays—especially for those people and organizations such as The Society of St. Vincent de Paul who work tirelessly keeping families fed. Five-year Conference President Debra Payne explains, "St. Vincent de Paul, an international nonprofit whose mission is to End Poverty Through Systemic Change, came to Notre Dame Catholic Church in 1953. The organization is comprised of three ministries: thrift store, food pantry, and financial assistance. “We give out over $300,000 in goods and provide $340,000 in financial assistance every year to 1,800 families representing 9,500 people,” Debra says. “We totally put ourselves in God’s hands, and whatever He wants is what we accomplish.” 28 | NOV-DEC 2020 | KERR COUNTY PEOPLE MAGAZINE
Volunteer power Typical of the determined industry keeping Kerr County one of the best communities in Texas, the volunteers at St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry on Broadway did not let COVID-19 deter their service. While significantly altering operations to comply with safety requirements, since March the food bank has distributed 275,685 pounds of food to approximately 4,500 families in Kerr and surrounding counties. That was no small feat considering many avenues for traditional donations declined considerably as the quarantine period languished along. In the spring, they even questioned if they’d have enough supplies to last through June. Leading the initiative has been retired United States Marine Corps officer John McCalla who has volunteered with St. Vincent de Paul since 1996 and serves as vice president for the food pantry—a perfect application of his aviation supply background. The normal food drives through the post office, Our Lady of the Hills and Notre Dame schools, as well as the collections during Lent didn’t happen this year. Collections during Lent alone typically generate 9,000 to 10,000 pounds of food. Additionally, food and bags from the San Antonio Food Bank shared ministry program still cost approximately $34,000 annually. Equally concerning, the main revenue source for the pantry, St. Vincent de Paul’s Thrift Shop, was closed for almost six months. “Fortunately, we’ve gotten some very generous donations from individuals and The Community Foundation of the Hill Country,” shares John. “That community effort through The Community Foundation has kept us in operation.”
