St. Vincent de Paul Society

 St. John Church & Student Center

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 Supporting our St John Student Center Food Pantry
Want to support the Food Cupboard, Returning Citizens or PB & J ministry?

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Our Food Pantry at St John’s Student Center on Saturday mornings serves hundreds of our neighbors from the East Lansing and MSU communities each month.  Challenges in meeting their needs have increased significantly during the pandemic and even more so in recent months.  Even with so much already being done to reduce hunger, in 2021, our community had a family food insecurity rate of 13%.

Our Food Pantry is a true blessing. It is operated by parish volunteers through our St Vincent de Paul Society. 
Key sources of support are: 

• Donations of food and money from our parishioners,
• Food from the Greater Lansing Food Bank and by Bimbo Bakery, and
• The Simply Give program offered to us annually by Meijer through their store on Lake Lansing Road.

How you can help:
Volunteer — If you are available, help us throughout the week and especially late on Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings. 
Donate — Food and personal need items.  
Contribute $$ — We value your financial support at any time to purchase items not available through the Greater Lansing Food Bank.
Encourage Others — Remind your friends and family to participate. 

Since 2008, the strong partnership between Meijer’s Simply Give and hundreds of food pantries throughout the Midwest resulted in more than $69 million in support.
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St. Vincent de Paul Society - St. John Church and Student Center
Providing Assistance to Lansing-Area Neighbors in Need
 

The St. Vincent de Paul Society at St. John’s, with the involvement of members of the parish family, helps neighbors in need through a variety of ministries. We welcome all members of the St. Thomas-St John parish community to join us in serving others - as an occasional or frequent volunteer, as a member of our conference, or by way of supporting us through in-kind or financial contributions.

We invite you to volunteer. Several of our ministries are well suited for young families, and others are well suited for those who work from home or who are retired. Contact us to learn how you can be involved. (College-age and older members of the parish always are welcome to attend our twice monthly St. Vincent de Paul Society meetings. We gather to pray, share, and plan on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month from 7:00 to 8:45pm Questions? Emails us at [email protected]. 

Volunteer Today!  Donate Today!

Food Cupboard and Mobile Food Cupboard:  
The Food Cupboard and Mobile Food Cupboard annually distribute more than 4,000 bags of groceries and personal care items to residents of East Lansing, members of the parish family, and MSU students (most of whom are international graduate students). We have many volunteer opportunities, from sorting and stocking donations to shopping and transporting items, to volunteering on Friday evenings or Saturday mornings.
 

Friends of Returning Citizens: 
This ministry prepares and delivers food, personal care items, and a Meijer card to men and women on the day of their release from prison. The goal of this ministry is to communicate to these neighbors that we want to support them in their goal of successfully re-entering society.  This ministry also includes support for the Stepping Stones Housing Re-entry program for Returning Citizens.  This is a local initiative that provides no-cost housing and wraparound services.