Vincent history

On December 4, 1949, St Vincent de Paul Conferences from St Agnes, St Francis Xavier and St Mary's churches united to form the Particular Council of Maricopa County.

For example, in 1950 the Society leased a small building to begin a thrift store.

Called the Esterman Fund, it is a special needs fund set up by the Council in 1951 with money donated by the L. J. and Agnes Esterman Charity Fund.

St Vincent de Paul’s first charity dining room in Phoenix opened in 1952 located at 435 W. Washington Street. (Photo: Frank M. Barrios)

As the years passed, the organization continued to expand within the Catholic parishes of Arizona, and by 1965, SVdP was found in 25 Catholic parishes and proudly claimed 200 members.

In 1969, the Society officially invited women to join.

The Council Food Bank became part of the organization on January 15, 2001, when St Vincent de Paul of Seattle King County merged with the Georgetown Service Center, the organization managing what was then the Georgetown Food Bank.

Andre de Klaver, a former JC Penney executive, was hired in 2007, and made major contributions toward making the organization healthy again.

Store sales climbed back to over $4.3 million in 2010 and net income from store operations hit $1 million.

The SVdP Georgetown Food Bank name was changed to the Kobayashi Center in 2013 in honor of America’s Oldest Living Vincentian Tom Kobayashi.