SSVP On the Street

On the Street - Valentine's Weekend
Theme: Share the LOVE, you are LOVED!

This was the inspiration to this last "On the Street" Event and that we should serve and to give love unconditionally to everyone in need.
Here are the testimonials from one of our families who volunteered at our On the Street event this past February. Enjoy the article from the Moynihan Family!


Saint Vincent de Paul helps people in need of food and clothing. I believe the On the Street event will help the poor to know the love of God. People who helped get the street event ready are very nice and helpful. Some of the visitors were shy and others were very friendly and talked a lot to me. I felt happy and sad at the same time when I was there. I felt happy because I got to do something kind for people. I felt sad because I don’t think it’s right that people are poor. At school, in religion class, we learned about how to serve the poor. My family was so lucky to be there to serve people in need. When I close my eyes I can still see the love that was spread that day to the people in need of food and clothing.
Clare Moynihan - age 9

I believe the St. Vincent de Paul On the Street event will help show young people that it is right to help others. The Golden Rule says, “In everything do to others as you would have them do to you.” During this event I had the opportunity to help people who are in need. I know that if I was struggling I would want people to help me. I got to be with people who I may have thought of as different from me but they really aren’t different from me in the ways that matter. I got to meet people who were so thankful for the goods they were receiving. I hope we demonstrated to those living in poverty that people care about them. They were able to get some much needed items and a meal. I felt lucky to be at this event. I hope many young people get to have an opportunity to participate in events like this so they can learn more about the Golden Rule first hand, like I did.
Liam Moynihan - age 12

I had an excellent and eye-opening experience volunteering at this On The Street event. This was not my first time volunteering at an event that made it possible for me to help serve our brothers and sisters in need. Something that never fails to amaze me is the gratitude that the people we serve always have. I received a ”Thank you so much” or “You’re doing God’s work” from almost every person I encountered. This always shocks me because when I receive this gratitude from people who may not have had much in their lives, I feel like it is unnecessary. They are entitled to the basic human needs that we provide them with at events like these, but still are thankful. I have so much respect for these people, who have the ability to be thankful in a possibly negative situation. Their gratitude is inspiring for me. Whenever I find myself feeling ungrateful, thinking of this experience is what motivates me to be more appreciative of the blessings I have in my life.
Emma Moynihan - age 15

The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul’s mission is to live the Gospel message by serving Christ in the poor with love, respect, justice and joy. My family’s experience of the “On the Street” event embodied this so very well. One of Jesus’ most powerful messages to us in the Gospels is to prioritize the poor and vulnerable because their situations so often do not allow for them to help themselves. On a Saturday in February, my family was able to be out on the corner of Wellington St. and Horton St. distributing coats, boots, blankets and a warm meal to our brothers and sisters. This opportunity certainly allowed us to witness a prioritizing of some of the most vulnerable people living among us. My children often see individuals sitting outside of our grocery store, standing at an intersection with a sign or sleeping under a tarp on the sidewalks of London. In the Gospels we read that Jesus sat with these people, talked with them, touched them, broke bread with them. His radical inclusion is what my family observed on this Saturday in downtown London. We experienced men, women and children sharing smiles, having conversations, helping each other, listening to each other, eating together. Through these interactions we were given the beautiful opportunity to be reminded of how much we have in common with each other. We were reminded of the fact that both the people being served and those who were serving are all equal in dignity. We were reminded how important it is to have a preferential option for the vulnerable among us. We were reminded of God’s love.
Lisa Moynihan

Many thanks goes to our partners this time, we couldn't have succeeded without you!
St. George's Parish - SSVP Conference
St. Andrew's Kim Korean Catholic Church
Clothing Works
Holy Family - Connect Life Group
Subway
All the volunteers from SSVP Youth and adult conferences at Holy Family Parish



Thank you everyone for being God's hands and feet on earth!