Society to open 2nd store
Saint Vincent de Paul group to open 23rd Street location soon

OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma District Council of the St. Vincent de Paul Society will open a second thrift store here in the near future. The announcement was made recently by executive director Patty Yardley.

Like St. Vincent de Paul, the French saint (1581-1660) who spent his adult life helping the poor and communicating the love of God to them, the Catholic lay organization that bears his name also helps those in need. According to Yardley, the St. Vincent de Paul Society has two main goals: first, to grow spiritually by connecting with and helping the poor; and, second, to provide emergency assistance to those who call the society, asking for help.

“We raise money to help the poor through private donations from the parishes and through our thrift stores,” Yardley said. “Although we already have a store at 4515 NW 10th Street, with two stores we hope to raise twice as much money so we can increase the kinds of services we offer. In the future, we hope to be able to open a soup kitchen or a food pantry.”

The new thrift store will be at 23rd Street and Drexel. Kathy Vance, manager of the shop on 10th Street, will manage both locations.

The new shop needs permanent full- and part-time employees. Anyone interested in becoming a cashier at the new store should bring a resume to 4515 NW 10th Street as soon as possible, Yardley said.

“We need donations — things like furniture, clothing and household items,” Yardley said. Donations should also be dropped off at the 10th Street store rather than the new location, she said. For pickup of larger items, call Vance at 917-5999.

“Volunteers are always needed at the original thrift shop, to sort, tag and price items,” Yardley said. “We have many items right now that need to be tagged, so we have lots of work to do,” Yardley said.

For more information, go to the Oklahoma District Council’s Web site at www.stvincentdepaulokc.org.