Loren Lacy 10/20/20 Loren Lacy 10/20/20

SVDP Donation Collection Weekend

Deposit those unwanted items in your closet. Dislodge the hodgepodge in your garage!

Bundle Weekend is your opportunity to help those in need by providing your gently used items to St. Vincent de Paul’s Thrift Store! The truck will be here to pick up your bundles on Saturday, Oct. 24 and Sunday, Oct. 25 from 8:00 am - 2:00 pm. The truck will be in its usual spot in the west parking lot of St Francis of Assisi Catholic Church - Frisco.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to COVID, a few things have changed.

All items must be boxed or sealed in a trash bag.
We also accept canned food!
For a complete list of acceptable items, please visit https://www.svdpfrisco.org/bundle-weekend Your donations allow our stores and the mobile thrift truck to offer quality items at bargain prices. Plus, a portion of the proceeds are given to our own SVdP conference here at St. Francis!
Tax receipts for your donations are available at the truck.

Loren Lacy 10/3/20 Loren Lacy 10/3/20

SVDP Helped Me Restructure my 700% PayDay Loan

As a single mom with a family, I loved my job and it paid well. Yet, my finances were in disarray. I was behind on paying my utility bills, car loan and rent. Surely, a PayDay Loan was a quick and easy fix to my financial struggles!

My bills continued to pile up! I saw no end to my financial problems. I reached out to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVdP) for help. On my first visit with volunteer advocates, I saw I had a chance to get back on my feet again !

Yet, my PayDay Loan, with an interest rate 700%, kept me trapped in a cycle of debt! Then, my volunteer advocates introduced me to SVdP Mini-Loan Program (MLP) as a way to help me take control of my finances. While reviewing my bank statements and budget with my volunteer advocates, I became more knowledgeable of unwise financial decisions I had made over time.

During additional meetings, I set up a budget with the help of MLP Coordinator and encouragement of my volunteer advocates. The key point of these meetings was to set up a budget I would stick to. I needed to be truthful to myself and to understand all my finances, both income and expenses. With confidence, I applied for a low interest bank loan available through the Mini-Loan program. Shortly thereafter, I was approved. YEAH!

Now the difficult part started. I had to stay on budget! My SVdP volunteer advocates helped me. Together, we reviewed my budget periodically, addressed other obligations, and established written goals. They gave me a reality check on how loans are obtained. And, most importantly, they kept my feet to the fire to ensure my budget goals were met.

I was comfortable and very proud I was managing my finances. By year end, all my bills were current. My only debt was the MLP loan which was being paid on schedule. I established a “credit builder account” with a credit union to increase my FICO score and help me with future goals. Within sixteen months, I paid off the MLP loan, raised my FICO score from 545 to 670, and had cash in the bank!

I have no doubt my volunteer advocates were sent by God!