A non-profit, community-based organization, St. Vincent de Paul of Alameda County (SVdP) offers emergency and social safety net services to its neighbors, relying on a vast network of volunteers to carry out our mission. We operate a free dining room, thrift stores, an e-waste recycling program, men and women's drop-in centers, workforce and culinary training programs and much more. St. Vincent de Paul serves everyone regardless of origin, creed, or affiliation. Our staff and volunteers are a diverse and talented group, representing a wide range of experiences and perspectives.
St. Vincent de Paul was founded in 1833 by Frederic Ozanam, a 20-year-old student of the Sorbonne University in Paris, France. Similar groups began to form in Paris, then spread throughout France, and eventually throughout the world.
Volunteers, known as Vincentians, are united in an international society of charity by their spirit of poverty, humility, and sharing. St. Vincent de Paul of Alameda County was founded in 1938, and has been serving the community of Oakland ever since.
