St. Mary’s has a long history of providing help to those less fortunate in our community. We were the first congregation in DuPage County to host a PADS interim housing site (shelter) in 1985, and continued in that ministry for 30+ years. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, congregate sites such as those at St. Mary’s have been discontinued. DuPage PADS has moved to a “static” model, in which clients stay at a central location. The permanent Interim Housing Center (IHC) is located in Downers Grove.
Since purchasing the new IHC in 2022, PADS reports an 80% decrease in mental health incidents, a 75% decrease in health incidents, and 136 children registered for school.
A third of the guests at the IHC are children, most under the age of 5. Another 1/3 are seniors who are over 60. All of them need our help on their journey to end their homelessness. All of them wish for a home of their own.
Although St. Mary’s no longer hosts a shelter site, our partnership with DuPage PADS continues. Our monthly gift card drive is one initiative. These cards help to provide food and other necessities for clients in the IHC and in permanent supportive housing. These are held the third Friday of every month, from 5:00pm to 6:00pm in the St. Mary’s parking lot.
We also partner with Divine Savior Catholic Church in Downers Grove to provide and deliver dinner to the IHC. Once a month we provide a meal for approximately 300 people each night, about 100 of whom are children. Other volunteer opportunities at the IHC can be viewed at www.DuPagePads.org, under the “be part of the solution” tab at the top of the page.
A new partnership with our St. Vincent DePaul Society organizes teams of volunteers to work at the SVDP store in Addison and the SVDP warehouse in Glendale Heights.
We welcome both new and long-time volunteers to join us in this ministry.
If you would like to volunteer, please email stmaryspads@gmail.com. We can also add you to our email list, so you have the latest updates and reminders.