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Conflict brews over St. Vincent de Paul's policies for serving poor
By Kalea Hall
YOUNGSTOWN
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul’s Mahoning dining hall will reopen Monday.
That’s the plan, at least. The hall at 208 W. Front St. will have a new manager, and it will serve those in need, officials say.
“The national office of St. Vincent de Paul and the Catholic Diocese of Youngstown have agreed on a solution to the dining hall challenge, but we are still working out some of the details,” said the Rev. David J. Bergner, vicar for social concerns at Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Youngstown.
The dining hall is expected to open at 10:30 a.m. for lunch.
Community concerns led to involvement by the diocese and the national St. Vincent de Paul Society.
Last Monday the doors of the dining hall, the lunch hub of the city to many of its clients, closed.
Confusion from clients set in. Many went there for years in need of a hot meal but were greeted instead with a note of closure signed by Brian Antal, volunteer president of St. Vincent de Paul Society. Antal did not answer repeated requests for an interview.
He said in the letter the closure was due to “personnel issues” and called the circumstances “unforeseen.”
Slowly but surely, the organization’s volunteers and clients came forward to claim otherwise, and they questioned Antal’s leadership.
Some rules that volunteers and others say Antal enforced in recent years caused concerns that the mission of feeding the needy and uniting as one to do so were being violated.
“Our mission was to feed anybody that came through those doors and [give], if they needed, something extra to take home,” said Allen Wasylychyn, an eight-year volunteer with the society. “That went down the drain when Brian Antal caught on to it. He would rather you throw the food away instead of it going out.”
FEEDING THE NEED
Every weekday many people – some who are homeless and some who just need a little help – walk into the dining hall for a cup of coffee, a hot meal and a warm feeling of acceptance.
Outside, the world is cold and rough. Inside, they can relax.
They liked to say hello to their friend, Ralph “Skip” Barone, the dining hall’s former kitchen manager.
Barone said the “clients,” as they are referred to, are more like family to him and the volunteers. They joke together, they share stories and they embrace.
“We ask no questions and make them feel welcome,” he said. “I think that’s why they liked it. It was a safe haven for them.”
Hundreds of meals are served weekdays. On average, between 200 and 250 meals a day go out for lunch.
Barone was sad to see the kitchen closed the Monday after he resigned Nov. 27, but he doesn’t regret his decision to leave.
“It’s been an amazing journey,” he said.
Volunteers provided food last week across the street from the dining hall.
THE ST. VINCENT STRUCTURE
This is only one of many St. Vincent de Paul Society-giving facilities in the world.
There is, foremost, the International Council based in Paris, where it was founded in 1833. There are 800,000-plus members in 150 countries across five continents. The USA National Council, based in St. Louis, has more than 160,000 members among 4,441 local chapters.
In the Mahoning Valley, there are several parishes with a chapter that, combined, make up the local district council.
The society’s mission is to join men and women from all backgrounds to serve those in need. In turn, those serving grow spiritually.
Members of the society, known as Vincentians, collaborate with others “of goodwill in relieving need and addressing its causes, making no distinction in those served because, in them, Vincentians see the face of Christ,” the National Council of the U.S. Society of St. Vincent de Paul’s website states.
The society was founded by Blessed Frederic Ozanam, and patron, St. Vincent de Paul.
Father Ozanam’s vision and the society’s vision “is to embrace the world in a network of charity.”
In Youngstown, that vision began to get cloudy, said dining hall volunteers and others. “Without a doubt the mission has been clouded for a number of years,” Barone said.
The needy still were being served, but in the background were decisions that didn’t sit right with the local Vincentians. So, they stood up and walked out to make their feelings known.
“We are here to feed the people,” Wasylychyn said. “That’s our only mission: To get food to people that need it.”
To Wasylychyn and other volunteers, that means all people. They said rules were put in place that interfered with that mission. First, those who worked or volunteered at the society’s dining hall were not allowed to eat any of the food the society received from various places in the community.
“The product that is donated is not for volunteer/employee consumption,” a memo signed by Antal says. “Additionally, it is strictly prohibited that any volunteer/employee take any product home with them regardless of the reason.”
A reason was not given in the memo, which added that any volunteer or employee caught violating the policy would be terminated immediately.
Another memo changed the dining-hall policy on meals to one hot meal per person, per day and one take-home lunch bag per person per day. The individuals must be present to receive any of the items.
Harry Machuga, president of St. Luke Parish St. Vincent de Paul Society Conference, doesn’t agree with all of the policies. He said other conference presidents don’t agree with Antal.
“Ralph Barone did a beautiful job and apparently what was happening is, he wasn’t pleased with the way it was being handled and that’s why this happened,” Machuga said.
PAST ISSUES
In July 2014, Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley cut the society’s dining hall from its program because of how its food was used, how clients were served and the lack of fiscal responsibility noted by food-bank leadership.
“I think that being closed for an entire week shows a lack of management and oversight,” said Mike Iberis, food-bank executive director. “Taking a week off was irresponsible and had a negative effect on the population that relies on them.”
In 2010, Diane Terry of Lowellville was convicted on charges of theft and forgery after she was accused of stealing almost $290,000 between 2005 and 2007 while a clerical employee for the society. She was given a jail sentence of more than two years.
The society’s tax forms and revenues have had challenges, too.
The 990 Internal Revenue Service form, a tax form filed by nonprofits, submitted in August shows a decline in donations to the society.
The form for Oct. 1, 2013, through Sept. 30, 2014, shows $181,570 in contributions compared with $336,388 the previous year. Total revenue for the organization that year was $321,221 compared with $421,018 the previous year. Total assets were $558,675.
The form for Oct. 1, 2012, through Sept. 30, 2013, shows contributions of $336,388 compared with $264,928 received the prior year. Total revenue for the year was $421,018 compared with $319,534 generated the previous year. Total assets were $551,629.
In 2012, the organization lost its status as a 501(c)(3), according to the IRS. An organization loses this designation if it does not file 990 forms for three consecutive years. The organization’s status was revoked in February 2012.
The IRS has not posted an exemption reinstatement date on its website. But the society is listed as a nonprofit on the same site. The IRS was researching the discrepancy last week.
From Oct. 1, 2011, through Sept. 30, 2012, the organization collected $264,928 compared with $223,493 the previous year. Total revenue was $319,534 compared with $269,992 the prior year. Total assets were $430,037 compared with $409,994 the prior year.
The form for Oct. 1, 2010, through Sept. 30, 2011, which was filed in 2013, shows contributions of $223,493 compared with $211,652 the prior year. Total revenue was $269,992 compared with $221,811 the prior year. Total assets were $409,994.
WHAT’S NEXT?
The Diocese of Youngstown may not have contractual authority over the local St. Vincent de Paul Society Council, but it does share the same spiritual mission.
Leaders at the diocese, the St. Vincent de Paul conferences and the national council have been working together to address concerns with the local council. The local councils operate independently, but the national council can consult, advise and provide support to the local councils when it is requested.
“We are working closely with Bishop [George] Murry and his staff and local Society of St. Vincent de Paul leadership to resolve the situation,” a spokesman said in a statement last week.