Home Visit Volunteers
Neighborhood Volunteers
Without question, neighborhood volunteers are the heart, soul, and face of the Seattle|King County St. Vincent de Paul organization. We would not exist without them. Their approach to working with people who are suffering and need help is unique and very special. St. Vincent de Paul has 1,100 volunteers at 53 plus Seattle and King County neighborhood-based groups who believe very deeply about the value, the honor and the dignity of their work doing in-home visits. We refer to these volunteers as “Vincentians,” in honor of St. Vincent de Paul.
St. Vincent de Paul Volunteers Really Care
Where do they find the spiritual strength and inspiration to serve people who are desperate for help and who may be suffering? How do they stay motivated for a period of years to do this kind of work? We talked with a number of volunteers about their work. These are some responses. A seasoned volunteer told us “the home visit is big for me. You have to meet with people where they are going to feel the most comfortable and being in their own skin at their own place. When you are in their home, you can see and feel what people might need.”
“People with big hearts and good listening skills are folks who do this job well” says one. And another says “when one of us hears about someone who need help, our antennae go up, we listen and are driven by an inner-calling that tells us we need to help and then it comes naturally.”
People We Help Are Our Neighbors
Another volunteer commented: “the people we help are our neighbors. I can see and feel their pain—they don’t have to be of a particular faith or whatever. They are just people who need our help.” When further queried about why they react the way they do to answer the call for help, one volunteer said, “I help because it could be me,” while another says, “I would be guilty if I didn’t offer help,” One said, “it makes me feel good to help.” Another man observed to me: “We are human beings just like they are. We can see and feel the right kind of assistance. We bring them a sense of hope and caring.” St. Vincent de Paul said “It is our duty to prefer the service of the poor to everything else.”
Please Consider Volunteering with St. Vincent de Paul
Our local neighborhood-based groups (we call Conferences) are always in need for new volunteers, new faces, fresh perspectives, new hands, and new hearts to respond to our friends and neighbors who need help. To volunteer, please email volunteers@svdpseattle.org or fill out this Volunteer Application.
