COEUR d'ALENE — A few members of the Women's Gift Alliance stood one at a time in the St. Vincent de Paul H.E.L.P. Center, housed in the old Coeur d'Alene Library building.

Each reading aloud of short stories during this heartfelt Heart to Heart event, ahead of Valentine's Day.

Although their names were changed for confidentiality, these snippets conveyed the hope, housing, healing, safety, stability, redemption, recovery and progress of those who have found themselves in the service of St. Vincent de Paul North Idaho.

One story belonged to "Angela."

"I came to the women's shelter with my two children after leaving a violent relationship. We arrived exhausted and scared. I didn't know what would happen next.

"The first night we slept here, my children slept through the night. That hadn't happened in a long time.

"The shelter gave us safety, privacy and time. Time to breathe. Time to think clearly. Time to begin planning for a future without fear. Staff helped me take small, steady steps forward.

"Every day here, I grew a little stronger. Safety changed everything."

The nonprofit dedicated to helping people return to self-sufficiency has been a beneficiary of the Women's Gift Alliance on multiple occasions. The benevolent organization previously awarded St. Vinny's $30,000 through its pooled grant program to help fund a new roof for the H.E.L.P. Center.

"I must confess, when we first heard about the opportunity, we were so excited we almost jumped through our leaky ceiling," Grants development specialist and community outreach advocate Donna Brundage said when accepting the grant in June 2024.

In 2019, WGA awarded $25,000 to the St. Vincent de Paul Salvage Bureau — Returning Citizens Project to support the successful reintroduction of inmates released from Idaho prisons into Kootenai County.

About 5,500 people come through St. Vincent's doors annually. The nonprofit began 80 years ago as a clothing closet at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church. It has expanded over the years to support individuals, families, veterans, those struggling with mental health challenges, and anyone in need of food, housing, clothing, basic necessities and social services.

"Thank you for choosing us as one of the beneficiaries," Director of Community Engagement Kristi Rietze said to the WGA members. "It's really exciting to share with you the work of St. Vincent de Paul."

Scott Ferguson, CEO of St. Vincent de Paul North Idaho, said it was wonderful to invite WGA members into a space that fosters compassion, care, and hope daily.

"We are always excited to create hope for every individual who their hardest step is through that front door," he said. "The proudest moment of leading this organization is that this organization has been rooted to ensure that when times get tough, people find hope. They have the ability to make connection and not be seen as a stigmatized issue, but as a human being that fell on hard times."

He said the community needs compassion and care. It doesn't need people to become frustrated by problems they can't solve.

"We have the privilege every day to see the individuals who come into the H.E.L.P Center, come through our thrift store operations, come in to find hope in every conversation," he said.

Visit womensgiftalliance.org for details about the Women's Gift Alliance. Go to stvincentdepaulnorthidaho.org for more about the services offered by St. Vincent de Paul North Idaho.

    St. Vincent de Paul North Idaho CEO Scott Ferguson visits with guests Thursday evening during the Women's Gift Alliance's first Heart to Heart event of the year. During Heart to Hearts, WGA members visit past funding beneficiaries to hear how grant funding has supported their projects and needs.
  

    Women's Gift Alliance member Laura Umthun reads a short story of a past recipient of St. Vincent de Paul services while visiting the H.E.L.P. Center during a Heart to Heart event Thursday evening.