News Photo by Reagan Voetberg Jennifer Kane, a volunteer, sorts clothes at St. Vincent de Paul’s on Friday. The charitable organization is beginning to fundraise to help expand its store and work areas.

ALPENA — Since the start of St. Vincent de Paul in 1968, the organization has not yet needed to fund a capital campaign.

St. Vincents has never asked the community for funding support, but is doing so now to help expand its presence in the Alpena area and improve its store and sorting area.

St. Vincents will be launching a $210,000 capital fundraising campaign and it hopes local donors, businesses, and other charitable groups will help it, as it has helped so many others.

It is also seeking grant funding to help cover a portion or all of the cost of the project that will expand the store and add additional room for sorting, pricing and other tasks.

All monetary donations have gone directly to the needs of community members.

The Society purchased the building next to their current location on U.S.-23 South, which houses the thrift store, food pantry, and offices.

The capital campaign will raise funds to move their clothing sorting operations into the new building, providing more space for sales in the thrift store. St. Vincent President Tom LaCross said they plan to knock out part of the wall so volunteers and employees can easily move between the two buildings. The funding will also be used to renovate the new building. The remodeling project is expected to start in April.

“It’s scheduled to start this April,” Gerrie LaCross, Tom Lacross’s wife and member of St. Vincent said. “It’s gonna involve lots, its electrical, its heating, its insulation, all those things. But, it’s going to make a big impact on what we can do.”

With the additional building, the store space can be expanded by about 2,000 square feet, which will allow for a larger inventory of products at low costs for people who need them.

To fundraise, letters will be sent out to supporters and friends of the Society. Tom LaCross said that they have applied for several grants, which may help cover the costs of the expansion.

According to the campaign letter, St. Vincent’s helped 972 people with shelter, clothing, utilities, and more in fiscal year 2025. The food pantry served 6,654 people. In all, St. Vincent provided $200,000 worth of assistance last year.

St. Vincent connects people with other local agencies, like the Northeast Michigan Community Service Agency (NEMCSA) or Habitat for Humanity, to name a few, if their needs would be better met by those organizations.

Gerrie LaCross told one story about a man that was heating his camper with a single 20 pound propane tank hooked to a Mr. Buddy heater. He sought help from St. Vincent’s, and they arranged for a local petroleum gas dealer to install two 100 pound tanks that could hook up to his furnace and provide continual heating throughout the winter.

In all the help they provide, St. Vincent’s seeks to support people to live independently. If someone comes through the door that needs help paying rent multiple times, for instance, volunteers of the society will sit with that person and help them budget their money, instead of continually paying that individual’s rent.

Vincentians will also go in pairs to do home visits should a person need continual help with bills, or whatever it may be. Home visits are only done with the person’s permission. The purpose is to learn more about that person’s situation and seek to address the root of the problem, as well as build a relationship with that person.

The campaign letter states, “St. Vincent volunteers listen, develop relationships, and offer multiple means of support to empower the person to a dignified independence.”

Along with the capital campaign, you can support St. Vincent’s by donating clothing and other items for the thrift store, or by purchasing items from the store.

“When you’re doing your spring cleaning, don’t forget St. Vincent de Paul,” Tom LaCross said.

Reagan Voetberg can be reached at 989-358-5683 or rvoetberg@TheAlpenaNews.com.