7-year old, Jonah and his mom, Brianna, have been through a lot in their year prior to contacting SSVP – domestic abuse, homelessness, and constant hunger. When Brianna finally connected with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, after leaving her abusive husband, she and Jonah had very little to eat in their apartment, and had been living without electricity for the better part of a week. Read on to learn how SSVP was able to keep Jonah and Brianna fed and housed.
FULL STORY: 7-year old, Jonah and his mom, Brianna, have been through a lot in their year prior to contacting SSVP - domestic abuse, homelessness, and constant hunger. When Brianna finally connected with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, she and Jonah had very little to eat in their apartment, and had been living without electricity for the better part of a week. After several years of being the target of abuse – and after many attempts to leave her alcoholic and physically abusive husband – late last year Brianna got her courage up and actually DID it. Even though she had almost no savings, the desire to raise Jonah in a safe environment had finally won out. While staying in a local shelter, Brianna got a job with a small company cleaning houses and eventually scraped together enough money to rent a small apartment for herself and Jonah. Paying the deposit and first month’s rent, however, left Brianna with very little money for food and other household necessities. In late June, the small cleaning firm Brianna worked for went out of business, and she was out of work. To keep at least some money coming in, Brianna found work with a “temp” employment service. With reduced income, though, Brianna began to get behind on paying her rent and utility bills. Food became a luxury that they mostly couldn’t afford, and her refrigerator was often nearly empty. She and Jonah were constantly hungry. After receiving a couple of notices that her rent and utilities were overdue, Brianna didn’t know where to turn for help to address the bills that were piling up. She called several agencies in town but they either didn’t return her calls or had no financial assistance available. With an eviction notice now in hand, Brianna and Jonah came home one evening to a darkened house. Her electricity had been turned off, and she knew that her gas and water service was going to be next. In a panic, and with her world crumbling around her, Brianna called the nearest Catholic church and got referred to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Omaha. I thank God that Brianna reached out for help. In addition to covering her overdue rent and utility bills, the Society immediately met Brianna and Jonah at our food pantry and were able to make sure they received a 2-week’s supply of food. We also grabbed a couple of sandwiches from our sack lunch program for the two of them. Our staff maintains regular contact with Brianna, in order to make sure that she and Jonah have everything they need, including additional food from the pantry and clothes from one of our thrift stores. We also put Brianna in touch with the owner of a small real estate firm we work with, who provided her with job for 25 hours a week, which has since grown into a full-time position. Clearly, none of the services we’ve been able to provide to Brianna and Jonah are possible without your help, for which we are sincerely grateful. With the help of your generous donations, we can continue our work of serving families like Brianna and Jonah, ensuring they will stay in their homes and won't go hungry. In 2023, the Society's pantry served 9,072 local families, like Brianna and Jonah, who were in need of food. During this time, we also provided more than 67,600 lunches to our homeless neighbors here in downtown Omaha. Please consider donating to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul today so that we may continue to serve families like Brianna and Jonah throughout the year! We sincerely thank you for your generosity and consideration! |
Gifts to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Omaha are used to care for the people who turn to us during their hour of need and are greatly appreciated. All of our services are provided at no cost. All gifts made to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Omaha are tax deductible to the full extent of the law. Our donor information is kept in strict confidence. Our donor lists are never rented, shared or exchanged with other organizations. The stories in our letters are real. Identifying details have been changed to protect the privacy and therapeutic interests of those we serve. For more information about the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Omaha, or to include us in your estate planning, please contact Development Director, Tim Sully, at (402) 779-8499 or at [email protected].
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Executive Director
Society of St. Vincent de Paul Omaha
Society of St. Vincent de Paul Omaha