Social services assistance is still being offered with changes in application and delivery process

CINCINNATI, March 19, 2020 – Effective at the end of business yesterday, Thursday, March 19, St. Vincent de Paul is closing the retail operations of its seven area thrift stores until further notice. The decision to close the stores was made in an attempt to protect the health and well-being of the employees and shoppers from the spread of the Coronavirus.

“Our biggest concern is the safety and welfare of our workers and shoppers,” says Mike Dunn, executive director of St. Vincent de Paul in Cincinnati. “We wanted to be open for people in need for as long as we could, but the risk is just too great.

“We will continue to monitor the situation and reopen the stores as soon as we are able to do so.”

Individuals may still drop off donations at the stores, where a limited number of employees are still going to be available to accept and process the donations.

St. Vincent de Paul operates seven thrift stores in the area—Milford, Mason, Mount Washington, Western Hills, Evendale, Colerain and Winton Hills. Proceeds from the stores help fund the charitable services provided by St. Vincent de Paul, including rent and utility assistance, a choice food pantry, a charitable pharmacy and more.

In 2019, the stores provided $794,773 in free clothing, furniture and household items to Cincinnati-area residents who couldn’t afford to shop there. St. Vincent de Paul also provided $1.68 million in rent and utility assistance to help keep neighbors in their homes; filled 66,223 free pharmaceutical prescriptions; gave away 1,157 beds to those who didn’t have a bed to sleep on; and provided 98,195 neighbors in need with food through its food pantry network.

St. Vincent de Paul is a safety net for the poor and vulnerable in our community, helping to keep them from falling into the downward spiral of poverty and homelessness. The assistance extends into virtually every neighborhood in Cincinnati, and spans a wide range of free services.

St. Vincent de Paul is continuing to offer its social services to those in need, although with some changes in the application and delivery process. Walk-in applications are not being accepted for the pharmacy or social services. Those in need of social services—rent and utility assistance, food, birth certificates, bus passes or vouchers for clothing, furniture or beds—should call 513-421-0602 to complete an application. Those in need of medicine from the charitable pharmacy should call 513-562-8841, ext. 267.

About St. Vincent de Paul – Cincinnati
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul has been providing innovative, practical emergency assistance to Greater Cincinnati residents in need for more than 150 years. The organization works personally with those in need, regardless of race or creed, to bridge the spiritual, emotional and material gaps in their lives through home visits provided by neighborhood-based volunteer groups, and groundbreaking initiatives like the Charitable Pharmacy as well as a network of 11 food pantries and seven thrift stores and donation centers across Cincinnati. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul – Cincinnati is a network of neighbors, inspired by Gospel values, growing in holiness and building a more just world through personal relationships with and service to people in need. For more information, visit SVDPcincinnati.org.