Frequently Asked Questions
If you have a question that you don’t see here, please get in touch with us.
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is a Catholic lay organization dedicated to assisting those in need with various forms of financial and material help.
Members of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (or “Vincentians” ) are men and women who strive to grow spiritually by offering person-to-person service to individuals in need. When groups of Vincentians come together at a Catholic parish, such as Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, they make up a Conference.
No. The services of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul are open to all people in need, regardless of their income, religious beliefs, or race.
Vincentians provide food assistance and limited emergency utility assistance to people in need who live within our Conference area or who are registered with one of the churches within our Alliance of Community Churches. If you do not live within our Conference area, our volunteers can direct you to another local food pantry or an organization that provides utility assistance.
We provide assistance to neighbors in need who live within our Conference area – the parish boundaries of Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Helotes. To find out if you live within our Conference area, please contact us at svdph@att.net or 210-695-5683.
Based on your address, we can direct you to an organization that provides utility assistance in your area. You can also work directly with CPS Energy and SAWS to set up payment plans.
If you meet the eligibility requirements for emergency utility assistance, we are able to provide limited financial assistance with electric, water, and gas utilities. To be eligible, you must live in our Conference area and be on a payment plan or be scheduled for service disconnection. Emergency utility assistance is provided BY APPOINTMENT ONLY. Please contact us at 210-695-5683 or send an email to svdph@att.net to find out if you qualify for utility assistance and to schedule an appointment.
If you receive a service disconnection notice and live within our Conference area, we can pledge an amount toward your bill to temporarily prevent your service from being disconnected or to turn it back on. If you qualify for assistance, you can schedule an appointment with one of our volunteers by contacting us at 210-695-5683 or svdph@att.net.
We can also provide you with a phone number to contact CPS Energy to set up a payment plan to help you catch up on missed payments to avoid another service disruption.
We accept financial donations and donations of perishable and non-perishable food. You can check this page for a list of our most needed items to drop off during our hours of operation. Our food pantry is located at 14690 Bandera Road in Helotes, next to the Helotes Lions Club.
Yes! When food is donated at our food pantry, one of our volunteers will weigh the donation and give you an in-kind donation receipt. When you make a financial donation to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, you will receive a letter from us that will serve as your tax-deduction receipt. We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Contributions are deductible to the extent allowed under the Internal Revenue Service rules.