St. Vincent de Paul Society:
Volunteers are the Backbone
of the Organization
By CATHOLINE BUTLER
VANCOUVER - On July 23 the volunteers of the St. Vincent de Paul Society held their annual summer picnic in the Tom's O'Flynn's back garden. Thomas (Tom) O'Flynn is the B.C. Provincial Council President and he also serves on the board of directors for the National Council of Canada for the St. Vincent de Paul Society.
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FATHER VINCENT HAWKSWELL and Tom O'Flynn - Father Hawkswell is Pastor at St. Patrick's Parish in Vancouver.
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Whenever the volunteers gather together there is always a friendly camaraderie with plenty of laughs. A lot of this laughter is initiated by Limerick-born, Tom O'Flynn, who as the Irish say, loves the "craic." The volunteers are a dedicated group who give unselfishly of their time and energy to help the less fortunate in our society.
Some of the volunteers work in the St. Vincent de Paul shop on Main Street and others in the Hastings Street store. Others work in the outreach program by making sandwiches and coffee which is distributed every Wednesday and Friday nights to the homeless in the downtown area of Vancouver. Another groups help to collect and cut the bread and meat for the sandwiches. While others visit those in need and assess how to provide assistance.
At the picnic, society volunteers Ivan Douglas and Wally Coleman did a great job of barbequing and serving-up the sizzling steaks and salmon on a very hot summer day. Sheila Coutu, President of the Vancouver Archdiocesan Central Council, baked some delicious fresh berry pies that were served with ice-cream.
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RAY AND SHEILA COUTU - Sheila is the president of the Vancouver Archdiocesan Central Council
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Among with her many tasks in the society, Sheila spends a lot of time and effort collecting small gift items throughout the year which she presents to the volunteers at their annual picnic and Christmas party...not an easy task but one that is most appreciated by all the volunteers.
The St. Vincent de Paul Society is in need of volunteers, particularly at the new East Hastings store. If you have any time during the week that you could spare to help for a couple of hours at the store, please call, (604) 873-1003, (604) 873-1065, or the Help Line at 604-873-2297 and leave a message for Sheila.
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