St. Vincent de Paul Society serves those in need

Photo

SPECIAL TO THE VINDICATOR Brian Antal, left, president of St. Vincent de Paul Society of Mahoning Valley, and Dennis Mamone, chairman of the steak fry fundraiser set for Saturday at St. Christine Church social hall in Youngstown, show examples of baskets for the event’s auction.

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

St. Vincent de Paul Society of the Mahoning Valley continues its mission of helping people in need in the Valley.

Residents can support the society and Knights of Columbus by attending the fifth annual steak fry planned from 2 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday at St. Christine Church social hall, 3165 S. Schenley Ave. The theme is “A Good Time for a Good Cause.”

The fundraiser will feature a steak dinner, music, 50-50 raffle and auction. The cost is $25, and takeouts are available. For tickets, call Brian Antal, society president, 330-690-8435.

An average of 250 eat-in meals are provided weekdays at St. Vincent de Paul dining hall, 208 W. Front St. When takeout meals and Saturday breakfasts are added, the number tallies about 107,000 meals annually.

Weekdays meals are served from 10:30 a.m. to noon and Saturday breakfasts from 10 to 11 a.m. The breakfasts are a project of St. Michael Church in Canfield. Dining-hall volunteers are from parishes, community groups and businesses who volunteer by the week.

The food pantry is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.

The society also operates a food pantry at 317 Via Mount Carmel, where about 3,200 boxes of food are distributed each year. On weekdays, between 90 and 125 people stop at the pantry, where bread, pastries and produce donated by Valley businesses are available.

The budget runs from fiscal year Oct. 1, 2015, to Sept. 30, 2016, and will be about the same as last fiscal year. The budget for the dining hall is $160,000 and $70,000 for the food pantry. Miscellaneous expenses amount to $20,000. The society also operates an Afterschool Snack Program that provides food on school days to about 190 students.