Grant helps St. Vincent de Paul reach elderly

By Christine Bordelon
Clarion Herald

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul Archdiocesan Council of New Orleans (SVdP ACNO) was recently awarded a $149,525 grant from the National Council on Aging (NCOA) to ramp up efforts to get more elderly and disabled individuals immunized.


St. Vincent de Paul ACNO executive director Michael Bourg said he has been working hard to obtain grants since he became director nine months ago. He is thrilled to receive the grant – the largest “cash” grant the society has received in recent years – to create awareness in the elderly community of the importance of vaccines.

The National Council on Aging was awarded the initial grant to administer its COVID-19 and Influenza Vaccine Uptake Initiative by the Administration for Community Living, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Bourg signed the grant papers on Feb. 28.


Bourg plans to use workers from the VISTA program already at St. Vincent de Paul to spread word out about vaccination events and how to enroll in them. St. Vincent de Paul will then team up with the Louisiana Department of Health and Ascension DePaul Health Services on their vaccination events. Upcoming events include: HANO Community Resource Fair, 3600 Desire Pkwy., New Orleans, April 3, providing health information about vaccinations and SNAP registration assistance; United Way and TCA Super Tax Day at Xavier University, April 15, providing health information about vaccinations and SNAP registration assistance; and AGNO Autism Festival, 484 Sala Ave., Westwego, April 22, providing monetary incentives for vaccines).

“When they go out to events, we work with them to get people to get vaccinations. … We’re looking to get a lot of these done for a lot of people so the poor will be better covered, healthwise,” Bourg said. “We are really excited to try to be able to do that so they can have a healthier life.”

In addition, St. Vincent de Paul will organize health fairs across seven civil parishes in Louisiana and get “the word out through our Vincentian network – working with our local conferences who already serve the poor.”

Bourg said that more than $50,000 from the grant can be allotted to awarding a $15 incentive gift card to a local store after someone is vaccinated and that individual fills out a survey.

Will further help elderly
St. Vincent de Paul was founded in 1852 at St. Patrick’s Church in New Orleans to help individuals live a better life by offering programs such as high school equivalency and job skills; connecting impoverished individuals with resources; and addressing food insecurity and equitable healthcare access in vulnerable communities across Southeast Louisiana.

In celebration of its 170th anniversary, the New Orleans branch has created a new website and tweaked its logo. Bourg said he hopes to lure the national convention to New Orleans for the local society’s 175th anniversary in 2027.  He is working to expand the Sister Lory Schaff Adult Learning program to offer case managers that can help those in the program progress from learning basic skills to applying for jobs “that can get them on stable ground,” Bourg said.

The vaccination program targeting those 65 and older – a population that accounts for the most COVID-19 and flu deaths – only enhances other St. Vincent de Paul community services. Its conferences in various Catholic church parishes throughout the Greater New Orleans area already reach many elderly with services. Bourg also has been working to establish more conferences in the last nine months.

“We’re trying to build on the work that the society already does,” he said.

The St. Vincent de Paul Archdiocesan Council of New Orleans will hold an upcoming gala June 9, 6-9 p.m. at Xavier University of Louisiana McCaffrey Ballroom, Drexel at Broadway streets, New Orleans. Tickets are $100. For details, call (504) 827-5842. Its central headquarters and Sister Lory Schaff Adult Learning Center are at 3500 Canal St., New Orleans. Its thrift store is in Marrero at 4034 4th St. Visit https://www.svdpneworleans.org/.

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