It all started with washing dishes.
42 years ago, Bernie Gould and her husband were unable to visit their families for the holidays.
“Someone told us there was a dinner at Sacred Heart and St. Vincent De Paul was sponsoring the dinner,” the long-time St. Vincent De Paul volunteer said.
“We went to wash dishes, and that’s how we became involved, we got involved in the sandwich line, which then was making sandwiches at Sacred Heart Gymnasium and taking it down into the street every night of the week.”
Her husband passed away a year-and-a-half ago, but she continues to volunteer with St. Vincent De Paul.
Gould said as the need grew, they would have 30 or 40, with a maximum of 50.
“We started by having a thrift store because people were asking for clothes and people were donating us clothes, we were keeping them at everybody’s house,” she explained.
“From the thrift store, a lot of our street friends started to hang around and they were seeking food, so in 85′ we opened our drop-in centre and it was strictly just for coffee, snacks, and a place to come and play.”
She said it evolved into three meals a day, and they were able to purchase their drop-in centre in the early 2000s.
“Now we do about 300-350 meals a day,” Gould said.
“I wished I was saying the need wasn’t there and we were closing down, that would be the greatest statistic I could tell you that was happening, but the need is growing more and more and people are getting younger and younger and it pains my heart that’s happening.”
Aside from volunteering at St. Vincent De Paul for 42 years, Gould worked for School District 57 as a Special Ed. Teacher’s Assistant for 27 years.
“It was near and dear to my heart, and I will honestly say that I had a job that I loved,” she said.
“I loved the young people that I worked with, I loved the staff, and with holidays and stuff like that, it afforded me to give more time to St. Vincent De Paul.”
Last week, Vista Radio held our annual Community Christmas Fundraiser, which raised $50,000 for St. Vincent De Paul.
“This particular food drive has really touched me, three of my students came to donate, and one of them was so proud to tell the rest of the world that I was their teacher 35 years ago,” Gould said.
“I know they’re on fixed incomes, they came back to give some money, some of the people that told me, two in particular, this time was “I got food 18 years ago, you fed me for two, three years while I was on the street, I got into rehab, I changed my lifestyle, and I’m now here to give,” and that is an affirmation that we are doing the right thing, we don’t know how an act of kindness will change a life forever.”
Gould recently stepped down as the President of St. Vincent De Paul but continues to volunteer for the organization.
Something going on in the Prince George area you think people should know about?
Send us a news tip by emailing [email protected].
