Special promotional content provided by Society of St. Vincent De Paul – Madison.
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul – Madison kicks off its centennial celebration today with a special mass and luncheon, launching a year-long commemoration of 100 years serving Dane County.
Founded in 1925, the local arm of the international Catholic lay organization began with just a few volunteers—known as Vincentians—going house to house offering food, clothing, and support to neighbors in need.
“Actually, the Vincentians in Milwaukee gave us our first kind of lump sum to get incorporated,” said communications manager Katherine Higgins. “The first conferences came out of the east side of Madison at St. Bernard’s Parish.”
After getting their startup funding from Vincentians in Milwaukee, the organization opened its first storefront on Williamson Street. That first shop functioned less as a store and more as a centralized space to store donated goods.
“The term in the 20s to the 30s was ‘salvage bureau,’” explained associate executive director Amy Overby. “A repository where we could have one space to collect and hold all the clothing and home goods that people were donating. The natural iteration of that was a thrift store that would help to financially support the charitable work, but also be a source for us giving things away to people in need.”
Today, the organization operates seven thrift stores across the county and runs a wide range of essential programs, many of which the average thrift shopper may not even realize they’re supporting.
“Our food pantry is the largest program,” said CEO Julie Bennett. “Last year that provided about $4 million worth of food assistance to people in our community. That’s now averaging in the ballpark of 3,200 households a month.”
The pantry also offers online ordering and home delivery to meet rising demand and accessibility needs. According to the 2024 impact report, more than 37,000 families received food last year—a 19% increase over the year prior.
St. Vincent de Paul – Madison also runs the only freestanding charitable pharmacy in Wisconsin.
“That pharmacy provides free prescription medication to adults who lack prescription drug coverage and are at or below 300% of the federal poverty level,” Bennett said. The pharmacy filled more than 7,600 prescriptions last year, primarily for chronic conditions like diabetes, asthma, and heart disease.
Other programs include:
- The St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Program, which supports newly housed families at risk of returning to homelessness with case management and emergency financial aid;
- Vinny’s Lockers, which provide secure storage for people experiencing homelessness, including a fire-resistant file cabinet for important documents and keepsakes;
- A microloan program, launched in partnership with Bank of Sun Prairie and Lake Ridge Bank, to help neighbors avoid or escape predatory payday and auto-title loans.
While much of the centennial will highlight today’s impact, Bennett emphasized the organization’s legacy of innovation.
“We started the first transitional housing program for men back in the 70s. We followed that with the first transitional housing for single women and mothers with minor children in the mid-80s. Our food pantry was the first customer choice pantry in the state of Wisconsin,” she said. “And even now, we’ve developed an online ordering model and added delivery for people who face a transportation barrier.”
Looking ahead, the organization doesn’t currently have plans to add new services but is taking time to evaluate how to best adapt its current offerings to a post-pandemic world.
“2025 does not look like 2019,” Bennett said. “Our current strategic plan has asked us to look inward … then our next strategic plan will take that next look forward.”
The centennial celebration will continue throughout the year with public opportunities to engage, including a traveling historical exhibit at local parishes and thrift stores, a series of oral history videos from longtime staff and volunteers, and a gala this September. “We’d love people to share their stories—what is your St. Vinny’s story, how you got involved, what’s your favorite thing you found at the stores?” communications director Katherin Higgins said.
Throughout it all, the organization’s message remains the same: shopping, donating, and volunteering with St. Vinny’s is a way to keep your dollars working locally.
“Everything stays local,” said Higgins. “All the proceeds are funding truly local programs.”
And those local programs all have a singular focus: “Every one of our programs is aimed towards preventing homelessness,” Bennett said. “When you don’t have to spend money for groceries, that can go towards your rent.”
As the organization begins its next century, the legacy of neighbor helping neighbor remains the heartbeat of its mission.
