Kenosha was organized as a Council on November 2, 1938 with its first conference at St. Mark’s Parish in Kenosha.  The group set forth to find a building to house donations and offer individuals a site to pick up needed items.  A thrift store (‘Salvage Bureau’) was opened at 5519 13th Avenue in 1940. In the 1970’s the Tyson family donated the current building.After renovations, the old Tyson’s Sporting Goods Store at 6201 14th Avenue became the new home of The St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store.  The store was geared toward the general public to generate funds to support conference works.We then moved to 7531 30th Ave, Kenosha WI, which is where we are located now. 

 

About half of the Catholic parishes in Kenosha County have formed St. Vincent de Paul Society conferences, which are members of the larger Kenosha County council.  Local conferences include the parishes of St. Mary, St. Peter, St. Therese and St. Elizabeth in Kenosha; St. Anne in Pleasant Prairie; St. John the Evangelist in Twin Lakes; and Holy Cross, which has churches in Bristol and Wilmot. Conference representatives meet monthly to report on disbursements and discuss local poverty issues.

Revenue from sales at the St. Vincent de Paul store on 30th Avenue provides grant money to each of the conferences. From October 2009 through July 2018 over $2,000,000 in financial aid has been distributed to benefits clients through the conferences.  Additionally, another $1,223,653 has been donated to those in need in the form of vouchers for furniture, clothing, household goods, etc (items donated to the store).