OUR HISTORY

St. Vincent de Paul of Baltimore is proud of its long and distinguished history of serving those less fortunate in the Baltimore region since 1865.

St. Vincent de Paul of Baltimore emerged during the time of the Civil War. The first St. Vincent de Paul volunteer group was founded in 1865 at the Basilica of the Assumption in downtown Baltimore, just 32 years after the international St. Vincent de Paul Society was founded in Paris, France in 1833.

Guided by the examples of their patron, St. Vincent de Paul, and the founder of the Society, Frederic Ozanam, early members of St. Vincent de Paul of Baltimore sought to live their faith by caring for others, and became pioneers in the development of social programs to help those suffering from material poverty. Members attended to the very basic needs of the poor in their area by bringing them food, clothing, and coal to heat their homes.

For most of its early history St. Vincent de Paul of Baltimore consisted of three principal functions: parish-based volunteer groups called conferences, a summer camp, and the collection bureau for clothing and furniture assistance. In 1986 St. Vincent de Paul of Baltimore was invited to take over operation of Beans & Bread, a local soup kitchen founded in 1977 by Benet Hanlon. In the decades that followed, St. Vincent de Paul of Baltimore significantly expanded its community services, adding programs focused on homeless services, employment training, early childhood education, and healthy food access. Its annual operating budget has grown from approximately $400,000 in 1988 to over $30 million currently.

We look forward to continuing to evolve and develop services in response to community needs and make our community a better place for all.