St. Vincent de Paul's annual fundraiser adds festival activities

Andy Knight, The Herald Bulletin, Anderson, Ind.
·2 min read

Sep. 25—ANDERSON — As she watched her son, Kolten, hesitantly hold a handful of oats out for an eagerly waiting goat, Jessica Kay didn't hesitate when she was asked why she'd brought her children to Highland Middle School on Saturday morning.

"We want to contribute and to help donate for those who need it," Kay said.

Dozens of other residents, city officials and business leaders helped meet those objectives in attending the Friends of the Poor Walk, an annual fundraiser hosted by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, aimed at raising money for needy families in Anderson.

Organizers hoped Saturday's walk — its seventh annual fundraiser — would enable the organization to replenish a significant portion of the estimated $50,000 it has provided since April to help clients defray rent and utility costs.

"In July we gave away $14,000 in one month, and so (disbursements are) a little higher than usual," said Becky Hull, event coordinator for St. Vincent de Paul. "Of course, people are in more need because of the changes with COVID and that sort of thing."

Persistently high inflation is also pinching many family budgets, which means St. Vincent de Paul staff members are seeing more residents than usual seeking assistance.

"We deal with some people who are so in need that they don't even have a vehicle," Hull said. "What we're finding now is that they can't even get to work.

"If they get to work, it has to be a place that they can walk to. A lot of times those jobs are not paying them the kind of wages that allow them to have their bills paid."

Before walkers took to the track, they had opportunities to browse display tables featuring small household appliances and to purchase homemade baked goods prepared by volunteers. The festival atmosphere was carefully planned, organizers noted, in an effort to introduce more potential volunteers to the work the organization does.

"We're trying to make it more like a family festival," said Keith Olson, president of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. "With that, we get a lot of people here, a lot of people with a real desire to help us — that's why they're here. They realize what we do."

Shortly before a short prayer was offered and the national anthem was sung, the sun peeked out from behind the clouds, prompting many in the crowd to don sunglasses as they lined up behind an antique flatbed truck that would lead them around the track.

Once the walk started, Olson observed the scene and smiled.

"It's just a wonderful gift from God, seeing this kind of situation," he said. "All these people enjoying themselves is a really neat thing to see. We hope we can continue with that because it really meets a need here in the greater Anderson area."

Follow Andy Knight on Twitter @Andrew_J_Knight, or call 765-640-4809.