St. Vincent’s Gears Up for End-of-year Donations
From Autos to Appliances, Village Turns Trash into Treasure

   SAN DIEGO — St. Vincent de Paul Village will extend its warehouse hours from Tuesday, Dec. 26 to Sunday, Dec. 31 during its year-end "Give-A-Thon" in an effort to accommodate donors seeking a last-minute charitable deduction for their 2000 taxes.

   During those six days, the Village’s 815 33rd Street warehouse (just north of 33rd and Market) will be open for donations between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.

   President of St. Vincent’s Father Joe Carroll encourages people to drop off vehicles, household goods and even their excess commercial inventory, all of which contributes to the Village’s comprehensive on-site services.

   "We’ll take boats, cars, RVs, furniture, bulk food, construction materials, electronics – you bring it and we’ll use it to help our clients change their lives," he says. "Our staff will be issuing receipts for the donations on the spot, making the gift a win-win situation."

   The items brought in throughout the week will assist St. Vincent’s in providing medical and dental services, job training, adult basic education, counseling, parenting classes, children’s programs and a multitude of other services to address the needs of the 855 residents living at the downtown homeless rehabilitation center. During the winter months, nearly 250 of those residents are children.

   In addition to those programs, the Village serves between 3,500 and 4,000 meals daily to both residents and non-residents.

   For more information on St. Vincent de Paul Village’s year-end "Give-A-Thon" or for directions to the drop-off location, please call 1-888-FATHER JOE.

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