What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear “St. Vincent de Paul” or “St. Vinny’s”? If you immediately think of the thrift stores with the blue SVP logo, you’re not alone. They are a popular place to donate used clothing, furniture, and other items and find some incredible deals. They also provide employment opportunities for more than 260 people in Dane County alone!

While the thrift stores certainly are a recognizable feature of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul — Madison, this international nonprofit that began in Paris in the 1800s offers several other important services related to food, medicine, and housing to further its mission of “helping neighbors in need, primarily through person-to-person contact made by volunteer members.”

When “Safer at Home” orders and social distancing guidelines went into place, shelters that used to be open to folks experiencing homelessness day or night were forced to rethink their operations. One such shelter that has been trying to secure a larger and more permanent “home” is operated by Porchlight, Inc., which this month reached a record of housing 207 people in one night. 

Porchlight’s story began “when two people froze to death on the streets of Madison in 1984 – back when no one thought we had a homeless problem here,” said Porchlight Executive Director Karla Thennes. “Faith communities got together and rented the parsonage next to churches, got volunteers, and got sandwiches, and said, ‘If you’re homeless, come on in,’ and they did.” 

For

Five years after the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) became law in 1990, a group of parents of children with disabilities founded Movin’ Out to “improve housing access and support, helping to build healthier, more resilient communities.” Over the years, the statewide nonprofit has provided critical housing resources and multi-family rental housing for people with intellectual, physical, or mental disabilities, people with low to moderate incomes, and veterans. 

“As a social justice organization founded around the time ADA was passed, it’s past time for us to acknowledge that our organization has a responsibility and role to play in advancing racial equity and racial justice,” said Movin’ Out Executive Director Kathryne Auerback. “People of color

We are excited to share that Solace Friends, Inc., the nonprofit we recently featured on our blog, has found a home and hired an executive director! 

Solace will soon be able to house some of the most vulnerable people in our community during their final stage of life in coordination with existing hospice and clinical care staff. The same week in June that Solace solidified a loan through Monona Bank and Forward Community Investments, Realtor Ann Raschein helped Solace submit an offer on 4142 Monona Dr, Madison – and it was accepted! 

Given how intense the real estate market was this summer, Board President and Founder Ann Catlett said in a recent newsletter update that they were “absolutely astonished to find a near-perfect home on the east

Door County cherries. Plump plums. Juicy peaches. These are just a few of the fresh fruits recently offered through Munch, The River Food Pantry’s mobile meal program. This month, our team had the opportunity to climb aboard the colorful van to help distribute these fruits alongside bags of snacks, drinks, and sandwiches at several stops throughout Madison.

Our shifts began with an overview of south central Wisconsin’s busiest food pantry. Volunteer coordinator Debbie Bormann stressed the importance of volunteers and donations to The River, which has seen a huge spike in new households this year – especially due to the hike in prices for gas and groceries. 

Munch coordinator Jarod Hoffarth then gave us a tour of the van, explained our

For the second straight year, Livability has named the city of Madison as the #1 place to live in America. No doubt, Madison's reputation for being a great place to live, work and recreate is spreading far and wide. 

Which lead us to 4 important questions

#1: In this age of worker mobility, how many people from across the country are viewing the Livability rankings right now and considering a move to Madison?

#2: How many retirees, who could choose to live anywhere, are putting Dane County at the top of their list?

#3: And how many out-of-state investors, who are flush with cash, are wondering how they, too, can get in on the action?

#4: And last, when it comes to climate change, how many people from the west and southwestern parts of

School’s out for summer! While that can be a welcome break for some kids, others who rely upon school lunches may feel differently. That means it’s the busiest time of year for The River Food Pantry’s mobile meals program, Munch. 

“The River Food Pantry launched Munch in 2016 to bridge the gap that exists when school lunch is not available,” said Helen Osborn-Senatus, The River’s Director of Operations. 

The program initially began with a focus on serving school-aged children eligible for free or reduced school lunch, and since then has expanded to anyone facing food insecurity. This year another stop was even added at a southside apartment to serve seniors and individuals with disabilities who aren’t physically able to visit a food pantry. Still,

In a previous article we highlighted the incredible work of JustDane’s Healing House, which opened in 2019 to give people experiencing homelessness a place to heal after surgery. Soon, the Madison area will be able to house some of the most vulnerable people in our community during their final stage of life thanks to the efforts of another local nonprofit, Solace Friends, Inc.

The mission of Solace is to provide dying people with a “place of compassionate, safe, comfortable presence and caregiving,” particularly those who are “experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity, extreme poverty, mental/emotional health issues, substance abuse disorders, and/or social isolation.” 

Realtor Ann Raschein first learned about this group through her

While we all know it's important to take care of our physical health, sometimes we forget that our mental health deserves attention, too. They both contribute to our overall well-being, but we’re often more likely to schedule a preventative doctor or dentist visit than make an appointment with a counselor or therapist. 

The last few years have been particularly challenging for people because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which the World Health Organization attributes to a 25% increase in prevalence of anxiety and depression worldwide, highlighting the need for more mental health services.

National Alliance on Mental Illness, America's largest grassroots mental health organization, seeks to fight stigma, provide support, educate the public, and

Our friend, Jim Schumaker, is an amazing photographer. But it hasn’t always been this way. As Jim will tell you, photography was once just a hobby for him. Only over time has he come to view it and practice it as a form of art. Now Jim uses photography as a way to “pay tribute to nature’s beauty” and to “pay homage to our precious planet’s fragility”. 

Jim’s website, natureandhumanphotography.com, curates many of his photos from his life in Wisconsin and his travels around the world. Check it out, and you’ll be moved by his images that capture the extraordinary beauty of our planet and the wildlife and the people that inhabit it. 

You might also notice from his website that Jim has a history of giving his art away. Over the years Jim has donated