Council Structure 

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The Sacramento Diocesan Council of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul provides leadership, technical assistance, management training and resource development. The Council supports seven geographic District Councils. This allows local Conferences to better devote their own resources to serving their communities. The Council seeks to develop and promote innovative strategies that address human needs and social justice. The Council responds to the Council of the United States in its focuses on economic justice, ending hunger and poverty in America, and the Society's response to natural disasters nationally and internationally.

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District Councils

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The tradition of the Society is to serve the poor within our local communities and the parish-based conference is central to this principle of subsidiarity.  In recognition of the increase of conferences throughout the Diocese of Sacramento, the conference presidents in 2014 authorized the restructuring of the Society in the Sacramento region. As re-organized, the Sacramento Diocesan Council comprises 6 district councils and over 50 conferences.  We have already experienced the benefit of this new structure in our improved ability to help those in need in our communities, from Solano to the south to the Oregon border.  Listed below are the district council presidents who form the team of servant leaders that will govern the future of the Society in the years ahead.

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North State President
Peggy Niswander

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Placer/Yuba/Sutter/Butte President
Barbara O'Brien

 

Sacramento East President 
Vivian Macaspac

 

South Sacramento

Jim Sobolewski

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Yolo/Metro/Delta President

Sonja Craighton

 

Solano County President
Elizabeth Badua-Smail

 

Diocesan Council Spiritual Advisor
Rev. Michael Kiernan

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Frequently Asked Questions

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• What is the Society of St. Vincent de Paul?
  The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is an international, non-profit organization that provides social services to people in need. The Society derives its inspiration from the philosophy and works of its patron, St. Vincent de Paul.
   

• Who do you help?
  The Society of St. Vincent de Paul helps all people in need, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender or creed.
   

• What differentiates the Society of St. Vincent de Paul from most other charitable organizations?
  The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is one of many quality charities in the world whose members strive to help the less fortunate. What separates ours from most other charities is the way in which volunteers provide services. Instead of only helping those who come to us, our members provide one-on-one service to the less fortunate, going into people’s homes to learn the extent of their needs before determining how to help. The assistance may include not only immediate help, but also assistance geared toward aiding individuals and finding ways to resolve issues that put them in a position of need in the first place. In addition, unlike many other organizations, nearly 100 percent of all cash donations made to us, as well as profits from the sale of donated items in our Thrift Store go to our programs to help the needy.
   

• How do I volunteer?
  Please refer to our volunteer page to select the opportunity that is best suited to you. Volunteers are needed at every level of our organization, beginning with the Parish Conference level to directly help those in need, as well as at the Sacramento Council’s administrative operations and our Thrift Store. 
   

• How do I donate money?
  You can donate online or send checks directly to:
  Sacramento Diocesan Council, Society of St. Vincent de Paul
  P.O. Box 162487
  Sacramento, CA 95816-2487
  or you may contribute directly to your local parish Conference.
   

• How do I donate goods?
  If you would like to donate goods, please drop them off at the St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store, located at 2275 Watt Avenue, Sacramento. Donation hours for all goods excepting furniture are daily 10am - 4pm. Furniture donations must be scheduled by calling 916-972-1212. If you would like to arrange for your donated goods to be picked up, please click here for additional information.
   

• Can I make a Charitable Tax Deduction Contribution?
  Yes.  Learn about how to make a charitable deduction and find our tax identification number here.
   

• How do I receive assistance?
  If you need assistance, please refer to our Conference directory to select the Conference closest to you. If you call your local Conference, a Vincentian will speak with you by phone to assess your needs and determine next steps.  If you have trouble reaching a conference, please use the Helpline. Please do not email or text requests for help because we cannot guarantee those requests will receive a response.
   

• Do you have to be Catholic to receive services or to volunteer with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul?
  No. You do not need to be Catholic to either receive aid or volunteer with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. We help people regardless of their religious beliefs and welcome all volunteers regardless of religious affiliation. 
   

• Who was St. Vincent de Paul?
  St. Vincent de Paul was born in 1581 in France. In 1625, he established the Congregation of the Mission, now known as the Vincentians, a community of priests who undertook to renounce ecclesiastical advancement and to devote themselves to work in small towns and villages in France. In an age of sectarian strife, he instructed his priests that Protestants were to be treated as brothers and sisters, with respect and love. Out of his community rose an order of nuns called the Daughters (or Sisters) of Charity, devoted to nursing those who were sick and poor. St. Vincent de Paul died on September 27, 1660.
   

• Who was Blessed Frederic Ozanam?
  Frederic Ozanam was born on April 23, 1813 in Milan. Frederic was raised    in Lyon, France and was sent to Paris to study law. In 1833, he founded the  Society of St. Vincent de Paul with a group of other young men at the  Sorbonne University of Paris. Frederic Ozanam was not a priest, but a  layperson who was married and had a family. The Society spread very  quickly throughout Europe and the world. Under the strain of his work, as  well as serving the poor through the Society, his health failed and he died in  1853 at the age of 40. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II in Paris in  August 1997, on World Youth Day.