Free Bread for Well Off,
No Bread for the Hungry.

The largest Catholic lay organization in the world is the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVDP). “Inspired by Gospel values, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, a Catholic lay organization, leads women and men to join together to grow spiritually by offering person-to-person service to those who are needy and suffering in the tradition of its founder, Blessed Frédéric Ozanam, and patron, St. Vincent de Paul.”

Over the years the Milwaukee Society of St. Vincent de Paul has wandered greatly from this mission. Thrift stores have been created to help the local members provide clothing and other necessities to the poor. “Serving Christ’s needy is the primary goal of all St. Vincent De Paul Thrift Stores.” In Milwaukee the Society of St. Vincent de Paul had one thrift store, in the south central part of the city, the second neediest neighborhood. However, where a store is really needed is in the North Central side of Milwaukee, the poorest area of Milwaukee, the most racially segregated, (African American) with poor education system, a high rate of unemployment, a high rate of incarceration and children in poverty, there is no thrift store.

The select central leaders of the Milwaukee SVDP, a small group of white suburban people, decided to invest 3.2 million dollars to purchase and build Thrift Store in a suburb of Milwaukee, an area that is mostly white with a household income twice that of areas in North Central Milwaukee. The promise was that the suburban store would eventually make a profit that could ‘trickle down’ to the poor.

Today I decided to take a trip to the two stores, one located in Hispanic neighborhood of South Side and one located in a middle class suburbs. Both stores are called St. Vincent de Paul Thrift stores and both stores had about the same number of customers shopping in them when I visited. However, that is where the similarity ends. The area around the suburban store is full of thrift stores, with a private one right next door. Where a new store serving the poor is really needed, North Central Milwaukee, there are only a few thrift stores. The store in the suburb is much larger, wide open with an abundance of available items. For example, in the very small men’s department of the South side store there was about 12 pair of jeans on sale. In contrast there was a very large rack of jeans available for the white suburban shoppers in the new store. Another example was there was a tidy section of knickknacks in the South Side store where the suburban store has rows and rows of shelving for knickknacks. The same could be said for other items, toys, electronics, furniture, children clothing, books and other items. The prices were similar in both stores but the variety and quality of items was so much greater in the suburban store.

The new store has an extremely high operating cost, with around 40 employees and large debt, while the South side store is owned by the Society and has about 12 employees. The new suburban store will have an extremely difficult time making its operating cost each month, let alone paying off its debt of 3.2 million dollars. Chances of any ‘trickle down’ money are poor or impossible.

The central leaders of the Milwaukee Society are quietly conducting a fundraising campaign on behalf of poor but the majority of money raised will go to pay down the debt of the new suburban store that is not even sustainable. The select leaders are doing this despite the Rule of the Society in the USA that “all money belongs to the poor” and “Funds donated to the Society, however, must be used only for works that involve the personal service of Society members.”

Some of us have tried to express our concern that donations and money given for the needy are being used to serve the not needy. All our appeals to officials in the Society have been ignored and has led to our characters being attacked and, in my case, suspension from the Society which I so love and respect for its commitment to works of mercy.

Maybe pictures of both stores will work to make the point about the hypocrisy, racism and immorality of the Milwaukee society represented in these stores. I will publish them soon but for now I would like to share with you one picture that represents the sinfulness of the actions of the small group controlling the Society in Milwaukee. As you leave the suburban thrift store there are racks of free bread and bakery for the people who do not go hungry. At the SVDP thrift store in an area full of hungry people there is no such rack of free bakery. Bread for the well fed not for the hungry tells the Tale of the two thrift stores and how the Society in Milwaukee has lost its way.

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