2024 Circle City Irish Festival Charities
Saint Vincent de Paul
Strengthening Our Community Through Service
Inspired by Gospel values, Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVdP) is an international organization of men and women joined together in spiritual growth, dedicated to offering person-to-person service to those who are in need, living on the margins, or experiencing homelessness.
SVdP was founded in 1833 by Frederic Ozanam, a 20-year-old student in Paris. Frederic and a group of fellow students began to seek out and visit the poor of Paris, taking them food and clothing and offering their friendship and concern. This small group adopted the great French priest St. Vincent de Paul who alerted the world to social problems as their Patron. Similar groups grew in Paris, then to the rest of France, and eventually spread throughout the Christian world with the purpose of serving others as an extension of God’s love.
Gleaners
To be a leader in the fight against hunger.
Gleaners was founded in 1980 by a group of citizens committed to the belief that no one should go hungry. Since that time, we have grown to be the largest hunger relief organization in Indiana. As one of 200 member food banks in the Feeding America Network, Gleaners provides nutritious food to roughly one-third of the food insecure population in Indiana. We achieve this through our own initiatives and by serving as a wholesale distributor through a committed network of more than 300 network partners in our 21-county service area.
On May 1, 2017, Gleaners established Fresh Connect Central, one of just six Feeding America regional cooperatives. Fresh Connect Central and Gleaners work to dramatically reduce food waste by sourcing vast quantities of fresh foods that would otherwise have been discarded or plowed under.
Indy Reads
Indy Reads is on a mission to help empower people to reach their full potential
Indy Reads’ mission is to build the literacy, English language, and job readiness skills to empower adults and families to reach their full potential.
We are working to make our vision of 100% literacy for all a reality by providing:
– Free adult literacy classes,
– English language classes and tutoring for adults,
– Workforce certification programs, and
– HSE diplomas through our virtual and in-person Community Classrooms at Indy Reads and other locations throughout Marion County.
All Things Spiritual
The All Things Spiritual fund is established in honor of the Rev. Noah Joseph Casey, DMin, a priest of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, who died on July 10, 2015. Whether as a family member, a fellow seminary student, priest, religious colleague, retreatant, parishioner, or friend, one could not help but be touched by Noah’s sincere interest in and love for people and his desire to share his knowledge, wisdom and deep faith.
The fund will support annual gatherings of people ready to ignite or renew their spiritual selves by participating in facilitated conversations on topics connecting faith to life in an atmosphere of prayer and celebration. Conversations may take place at Fatima Retreat House in Indianapolis and/or wherever friends and admirers of Noah reside, and the desire for such gatherings exist. The fund will also support specific individuals and groups in Indiana and beyond in their unique quests to nourish the spiritual life.