August 7, 2024 • 6 mins
Jennifer Clark, the new CEO of St. Vincent de Paul, discusses the mission of the St. Vincent, how their efforts are funded, and how you can help...
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
The new CEO is with us. Her name's Jennifer Clark.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Jennifer, welcome, Hi Terry, thanks for having me. Well.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
Congratulations. By the way, on your elevation to CEO, you
were COO.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
I was thank you so much, really excited.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
Did you take some kind of like a little flat
stick and then scrape off the middle O and change
it with an E?
Speaker 2 (00:19):
So now that's CEO exactly. Don't tell anybody growing.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
Up as a Catholic kid, I've heard about Saint Vincent
de Paul my whole life. My family's helped, you know,
in various ways. I got a lot of brothers and sisters,
most of us have all helped at the mission at
one time or another. That was part of our parents saying,
let's go be a service. That's the number one mission,
is it not for Saint Vincent to Paul?
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Absolutely? Our mission is to house, feed and support people
with compassion and dignity. And so that includes everything from
our open hand kitchen where a lot of people have
volunteered serving lunch and dinner, to you know, our after
school program or our food pantry, which is all so
completely volunteer driven. So volunteers are the backbone of Saint
Vincent de Paul.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
In a few minutes, we'll give a website so people
can go there. But you're helping a lot of people
in this community, so can I ask you for folks
who are facing some challenges. Is that number from you've
been at Saint Vincent Paul's seven years is the number
in this loival area? Is it steady? Is it growing?
Is it dwindling? What's happening.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
I've been at Saint Vincent de Paul for seven years
and I've watched the numbers go up and down. It's
been up the last couple of years. I think inflation
has hit people really hard. We've seen more people in
our food pantry and in our kitchen, and then I
think everybody's kind of seen in the news that those
people who don't have housing. That continues to be a
big challenge for our community. And we do a lot
(01:45):
to serve people looking for housing as well.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
Because people come there for meals. But then there's some
that you house. Correct.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
Yes, we house people on our campus in Shelby Park,
and we also have what are called scatter site vouchers
where people are living out in the community and have
rental assistance. From us and HUD to be able to
do that in case management as well.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
Your Shelby would you say Shelby Park, That's Jackson Street.
I know that I've been there enough times, so it's
Jackson And what Kentucky Tucky?
Speaker 2 (02:16):
Yep, yep, that's where we're at.
Speaker 1 (02:18):
Okay. And then also isn't Saint Vincent de Paul Don't
they have like satellite helpers at various Catholic churches.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
We have twenty seven parishes that have a group of
volunteers called Incensions, and the way they participate in that
volunteer work it's called a conference and a lot of
times if you're not Catholic. I compare it to the
community ministries in town. They do assistants with rent if
your car breaks down, that sort of thing, and help
(02:47):
people stay housed and help people in crisis and also
minister to them.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
Yeah. I mean it's all about service for folks that
are facing some challenges. And then the basic questions come
up is how do you fund it? Where's the food
come from? I mean, how's all this work?
Speaker 2 (03:03):
We have amazing community partners. One of those partners is
HUD so that supports a lot of the housing that
we have dare to care. A lot of our food
for the food pantry comes through there. But the most
important partners in our community our individual donors. Those individual
donors who just give what they can make up a
huge part of our donations and allow us to do
(03:25):
a lot in the community.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
The times I've been there a few times, I've been
in one of the servers. You know, I have mop
floors too. But aren't some of the chefs and other
people connected to their people who've been helped by Saint
Vincent to Paul.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
Yes, we do have volunteers who come in who've been
helped or who are currently staying in our emergency shelter.
We have a long time volunteer who's in our housing
who's probably ten years going on ten years that he's
been in the kitchen cutting up carrots and helping us
get ready for lunch and dinner.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
So it's a heck of an operation. And then a
lot of people show up. People just know to show
up because they're going to get sustenance at Saint Vincent
de Paul. So then begs the question if it's more
than just money too, do you need what can people
do bring you know, furnishings, anything else they can do
(04:19):
to help Saint Vincent de Paul in whatever capacity they can.
What else can they do.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
We also have three thrift stores and everything that gets
donated and all of the sales go back to our mission.
We use donated furniture for our people who are going
into housing who don't have anything. We also sell that furniture.
So you should really check out our thrift stores because
anything you spend there is going back to help house,
feed and support people in our community. And then of
(04:45):
course those those donations may end up, you know, giving
someone a couch who didn't have one before. So our
thrift store locations are listed on our website as well
as when they accept locations when they accept donations, because
those those donation times are a little bit limited.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
Yeah, you're doing God's work. I'll tell you what. There
are a lot of folks that just need this and
and I'm sure you put in some pretty rough hours
in there, but that it's it's for the love of
service very much.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
So you know, I started out volunteering as a kid,
and it's a lot of what attracted me to nonprofit work.
So I've been in this field for over fifteen years now,
really helping helping nonprofits house people. And I've been with
Saintvincent de Paul for seven years.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
So okay, what's the website where people can go and
see how they can be of assistance.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
So it's an abbreviation of our name, Saintvincent de Paul, Louisville,
So that's s B D d P.
Speaker 1 (05:40):
That makes sense.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
Oh, you lou, don't forget the lou s V d.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
P l o U dot org dot org. Yeah, and
that covers it. Well, congratulations on your new job. Thank
you just adds to the you know, the the resume,
but also I know it's in your heart, so thank you.
You don't mind if it's twenty four hours a day, right, CEO,
you know I sleep too, But all right, Jennifer, congratulations.
Excuse me. Dave Kelsey stepped down as that what cleared
(06:09):
the role for you.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
So Dave has very generously offered to stay on in
a volunteer role as our chief community relations person. So
you'll see him out in the community representing us and
helping to build partnerships and helping to bring in the
funding that's going to support everything we're doing. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
Well, It's fantastic. He's a great guy and I'm glad
he's still going to hang on here and stay on
the team.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
Me too. He's been an amazing mentor.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
Jennifer Clark, the new CEO for Saint Vincent to Paul.
Find him online at s v d P l o
U dot org. Thanks back in a minute on news
radio eight forty WHA s
The new CEO is with us. Her name's Jennifer Clark.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Jennifer, welcome, Hi Terry, thanks for having me. Well.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
Congratulations. By the way, on your elevation to CEO, you
were COO.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
I was thank you so much, really excited.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
Did you take some kind of like a little flat
stick and then scrape off the middle O and change
it with an E?
Speaker 2 (00:19):
So now that's CEO exactly. Don't tell anybody growing.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
Up as a Catholic kid, I've heard about Saint Vincent
de Paul my whole life. My family's helped, you know,
in various ways. I got a lot of brothers and sisters,
most of us have all helped at the mission at
one time or another. That was part of our parents saying,
let's go be a service. That's the number one mission,
is it not for Saint Vincent to Paul?
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Absolutely? Our mission is to house, feed and support people
with compassion and dignity. And so that includes everything from
our open hand kitchen where a lot of people have
volunteered serving lunch and dinner, to you know, our after
school program or our food pantry, which is all so
completely volunteer driven. So volunteers are the backbone of Saint
Vincent de Paul.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
In a few minutes, we'll give a website so people
can go there. But you're helping a lot of people
in this community, so can I ask you for folks
who are facing some challenges. Is that number from you've
been at Saint Vincent Paul's seven years is the number
in this loival area? Is it steady? Is it growing?
Is it dwindling? What's happening.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
I've been at Saint Vincent de Paul for seven years
and I've watched the numbers go up and down. It's
been up the last couple of years. I think inflation
has hit people really hard. We've seen more people in
our food pantry and in our kitchen, and then I
think everybody's kind of seen in the news that those
people who don't have housing. That continues to be a
big challenge for our community. And we do a lot
(01:45):
to serve people looking for housing as well.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
Because people come there for meals. But then there's some
that you house. Correct.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
Yes, we house people on our campus in Shelby Park,
and we also have what are called scatter site vouchers
where people are living out in the community and have
rental assistance. From us and HUD to be able to
do that in case management as well.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
Your Shelby would you say Shelby Park, That's Jackson Street.
I know that I've been there enough times, so it's
Jackson And what Kentucky Tucky?
Speaker 2 (02:16):
Yep, yep, that's where we're at.
Speaker 1 (02:18):
Okay. And then also isn't Saint Vincent de Paul Don't
they have like satellite helpers at various Catholic churches.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
We have twenty seven parishes that have a group of
volunteers called Incensions, and the way they participate in that
volunteer work it's called a conference and a lot of
times if you're not Catholic. I compare it to the
community ministries in town. They do assistants with rent if
your car breaks down, that sort of thing, and help
(02:47):
people stay housed and help people in crisis and also
minister to them.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
Yeah. I mean it's all about service for folks that
are facing some challenges. And then the basic questions come
up is how do you fund it? Where's the food
come from? I mean, how's all this work?
Speaker 2 (03:03):
We have amazing community partners. One of those partners is
HUD so that supports a lot of the housing that
we have dare to care. A lot of our food
for the food pantry comes through there. But the most
important partners in our community our individual donors. Those individual
donors who just give what they can make up a
huge part of our donations and allow us to do
(03:25):
a lot in the community.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
The times I've been there a few times, I've been
in one of the servers. You know, I have mop
floors too. But aren't some of the chefs and other
people connected to their people who've been helped by Saint
Vincent to Paul.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
Yes, we do have volunteers who come in who've been
helped or who are currently staying in our emergency shelter.
We have a long time volunteer who's in our housing
who's probably ten years going on ten years that he's
been in the kitchen cutting up carrots and helping us
get ready for lunch and dinner.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
So it's a heck of an operation. And then a
lot of people show up. People just know to show
up because they're going to get sustenance at Saint Vincent
de Paul. So then begs the question if it's more
than just money too, do you need what can people
do bring you know, furnishings, anything else they can do
(04:19):
to help Saint Vincent de Paul in whatever capacity they can.
What else can they do.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
We also have three thrift stores and everything that gets
donated and all of the sales go back to our mission.
We use donated furniture for our people who are going
into housing who don't have anything. We also sell that furniture.
So you should really check out our thrift stores because
anything you spend there is going back to help house,
feed and support people in our community. And then of
(04:45):
course those those donations may end up, you know, giving
someone a couch who didn't have one before. So our
thrift store locations are listed on our website as well
as when they accept locations when they accept donations, because
those those donation times are a little bit limited.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
Yeah, you're doing God's work. I'll tell you what. There
are a lot of folks that just need this and
and I'm sure you put in some pretty rough hours
in there, but that it's it's for the love of
service very much.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
So you know, I started out volunteering as a kid,
and it's a lot of what attracted me to nonprofit work.
So I've been in this field for over fifteen years now,
really helping helping nonprofits house people. And I've been with
Saintvincent de Paul for seven years.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
So okay, what's the website where people can go and
see how they can be of assistance.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
So it's an abbreviation of our name, Saintvincent de Paul, Louisville,
So that's s B D d P.
Speaker 1 (05:40):
That makes sense.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
Oh, you lou, don't forget the lou s V d.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
P l o U dot org dot org. Yeah, and
that covers it. Well, congratulations on your new job. Thank
you just adds to the you know, the the resume,
but also I know it's in your heart, so thank you.
You don't mind if it's twenty four hours a day, right, CEO,
you know I sleep too, But all right, Jennifer, congratulations.
Excuse me. Dave Kelsey stepped down as that what cleared
(06:09):
the role for you.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
So Dave has very generously offered to stay on in
a volunteer role as our chief community relations person. So
you'll see him out in the community representing us and
helping to build partnerships and helping to bring in the
funding that's going to support everything we're doing. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
Well, It's fantastic. He's a great guy and I'm glad
he's still going to hang on here and stay on
the team.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
Me too. He's been an amazing mentor.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
Jennifer Clark, the new CEO for Saint Vincent to Paul.
Find him online at s v d P l o
U dot org. Thanks back in a minute on news
radio eight forty WHA s
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