The Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVdP) provides assistance such as food, clothes and other services to those in need; to support their initiatives, hundreds of chapters of the nonprofit also operate stores that resell donated clothing.

The recent revamping of the Gladstone store — located at 816 Delta Ave. — included a deep clean of the carpets, rearranging, painting and a return to consistent hours. Management hopes visitors will find the changes make the place more accessible and reliable.

To encourage people to check it out, SVdP is planning some attractive offers for its reopening in Gladstone. On Saturday, the first 50 people in the door will be entered into a drawing for a $50 gift card; there’ll be an $8.99 bag sale for clothes, purses, ties, hats and scarves; and refreshments will be served.

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is an international organization that offers “person-to-person service to neighbors in need.” Its founder, Antoine Frédéric Ozanam, started the beginnings of what would become the society in 1833 to assist the poor in Paris, France. Its name was chosen after another Frenchman — the patron saint who was called “The Apostle of Charity” and “Father of the Poor.” Twelve years later its origins in Paris, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul expanded to the United States.

Secondhand decor is shown arranged on shelves at St. Vincent de Paul, 816 Delta Ave. in Gladstone. (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press)

Escanaba’s SVdP opened in 1966; Gladstone’s in 1984.

The St. Vincent de Pauls in Escanaba and Gladstone are part of the part of the Diocesan Council of Marquette. Multiple parishes help run SVdP’s service centers, food pantries and stores with the assistance of some staff and many volunteers.

“Volunteers are the biggest, most treasured part of St. Vincent de Paul, because it’s a call to service … and you get so much out of it. There’s so many blessings that come out of helping others,” said Joyce Frady, the manager of Escanaba St. Vincent de Paul who has been temporarily managing the Gladstone location. “It’s putting yourself aside and selflessly helping others. You know, you’re giving your time. Time is very precious, and we don’t take that for granted here. We’re so grateful for our volunteers.”

Though it operates under the Catholic Diocese, SVdP is not itself a church. It’s considered a Catholic lay organization, as are the Knights of Columbus. The society reportedly does not hold bias when it comes to helping those in need or accepting help themselves.

“We do not discriminate one bit,” Frady said. “We don’t care about your sexual preference, your color, your religion. Everyone is welcome. I say that we are a non-judgment place.”

The interior of Gladstone's beloved charity shop will look a little different to those who haven't been since it reopened in December. Merchandise has all been moved to the ground floor so that people with mobility issues don't have to worry about getting downstairs. (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press)

In order to help families and individuals in the community who truly need it, the local SVdP works with Tri-County Safe Harbor to assist those leaving abusive situations and Great Lakes Recovery and Celebrate Recovery to help people transitioning out of prison or drug recovery get back on their feet. Parolees are given clothes; many get food and other assistance from the pantry and service center.

“Everybody has a past. We want to help them have a good future,” Frady stated. “Every single person has made a mistake. It doesn’t mean that you have to live in destruction because of it.”

Anita Gillis, president of the All Saints conference who works in client aid at the SVdP service center in Gladstone, spoke about additional types of aid they provide.

“We also do a lot of work with helping … those that don’t have phones or computers or reading skills complete their paperwork for Department of Health and Human Services and for Superior Watershed,” Gillis said. “Quite a few people do that. We even have a couple that bring in their mail for us to read.”

The service center can also help people pay for prescriptions. SVdP even has a burial fund to help struggling families unexpectedly dealt a death, and there’s a limited amount of rental assistance that can be made available through SVdP occasionally.

Gladstone's St. Vincent de Paul store is open again, and will celebrate with a grand reopening event on Saturday.

Though the charity does have to pay for their building, utilities, supplies, taxes and other overhead that businesses are responsible for, they strive to keep costs low and put as much as possible into the services they offer the needy.

Instead of purchasing bags to send shoppers out of the store with, SVdP collects paper and plastic bag donations.

As manager, Frady said that people have called her a “penny-pincher,” to which she replies, “I have to be. …We respect every person who donates to our store and to our conferences, and we have to be good stewards of that money that they entrust us with, (in addition to) their shirt that they just donated. We have complete respect for each and every donation that comes in that door, no matter what.”

The store in Gladstone will soon be seeking a new manager as Frady moves back to just managing Escanaba’s SVdP. It’ll have to be someone very compassionate, as people with wide ranges of problems are encouraged to ask for help at SVdP.

Gladstone’s service center and pantry are open 11 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. The store is open Tuesdays through Fridays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays. Donations are accepted from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

Even when clothing is donated that is unsellable — too worn out or stained or otherwise damaged — it doesn’t get thrown away and find its way into a landfill. Through yet other partners, SVdP recycles large amounts of fabric in bulk.