Meet Kristi Jacobson Rietze, a fifth-generation Coeur d’Alene resident whose family roots stretch back to the 1890s.

Kristi's great-great-grandfather, George Groves, known locally as the “Kid Engineer,” piloted steamboats across Lake Coeur d’Alene, helping connect a growing community by water long before highways encircled the shoreline. Today, Kristi carries forward that same steady spirit of service as director of community engagement for St. Vincent de Paul North Idaho, where she works to strengthen connections between neighbors, resources and opportunity.

With a career devoted to nonprofit leadership and regional philanthropy, and a family deeply woven into the life of North Idaho, Kristi sees her work as part of a story that bridges past and present. Beyond her professional role, Kristi’s life is rooted in service. She is active in Rotary Club, a proud member of the Philanthropic Educational Organization, coaches the Wizards fifth grade girls' basketball team, serves as a coach for Innovia Foundation’s Community Heart and Soul program and is deeply committed to serving on the board of the Coeur d’Alene Regional Chamber.

She and her husband Aaron, a landscape architect, have been married nearly 25 years and are raising four children who have grown up in North Idaho schools and athletic programs. One daughter is graduating from Carroll College and heading to physician assistant school at Idaho State University this fall; another studies at the University of Idaho. Their son is graduating from Coeur d’Alene High School and committed to running cross country and track at the University of Idaho. Their youngest will “graduate” from Sorensen Magnet School of the Arts and Humanities this spring after 15 years of Rietze children walking those halls.

For Kristi, caring for this community is both an inheritance and a responsibility, shaped by the generations who came before and the generation she is raising now.

Visit stvincentdepaulcda.org, call 208-664-3095 ext. 310 or email [email protected] to connect with Kristi and her team at St. Vincent de Paul North Idaho.

1) What is your mission as a part of the St. Vincent de Paul family?

When I think about those early steamboats crossing Lake Coeur d’Alene, I imagine the importance of steady navigation and reliable connection, and in many ways that is how I see our mission at St. Vincent de Paul North Idaho today.

I believe wholeheartedly that everyone deserves hope, and that no matter how complicated life becomes there is always a path forward, even if it takes time and support to find it. Our role is to help create stability when life feels unstable and to make sure that when someone begins to lose hope, there is a door open and a neighbor ready to walk alongside them.

For 80 years, St. Vincent de Paul has been part of the quiet infrastructure of this community, providing meals, shelter, housing and guidance and closely working with other organizations so that people in crisis are not isolated in confusion but surrounded by coordinated support. My mission is to help protect and expand that legacy so it continues serving both today’s needs and tomorrow’s realities.

2) Why do you care about this work?

In my role, I see very real need, from housing instability to food insecurity, and at the same time I see remarkable generosity. Witnessing those two realities side by side is incredibly humbling. There is a quiet joy in giving that many people do not always articulate, but it is powerful. It reminds me that we are strongest when we take collective responsibility for one another. It is that generosity, repeated year after year, that has sustained St. Vincent de Paul for eight decades.

3) How do donations to our local St. Vinny’s help people right here in our community? 

Every donation made to St. Vincent de Paul North Idaho stays here and directly supports neighbors in our own community.

While many people know us for our thrift stores, and those stores are an important part of how we fund our work, the mission extends far beyond retail. Behind the scenes, donations help serve hundreds of meals each week at Father Bill’s Kitchen. They help keep 40-50 people safe each night in our shelters during the coldest months. They support 329 units of affordable and supportive housing for seniors, families, veterans and neighbors living with persistent mental health challenges.

When someone donates to St. Vinny’s, they are quite literally helping a neighbor breathe a little easier, maybe with rent support that prevents eviction, food that fills a pantry or stable housing that restores dignity.

It’s community helping community. Always has been.

4) What is something people would be surprised to know about you?

People might be surprised to know that I read cookbooks for fun. Not just to find a recipe… but the way some people read novels. I love the stories behind food, the traditions, the way a simple meal can carry memory and meaning. Food is my love language.

Yes, I like to cook (good thing, raising athletes), but even more than that I love feeding people. There is something powerful about gathering around a table. A meal slows us down. It reminds us we belong somewhere. It creates space for conversation, laughter and even healing.

Food has a way of bringing dignity and comfort at the same time. The taste of home can steady someone who feels unsteady. In many ways, that is why I feel so connected to the work at St. Vincent de Paul. Whether it is a warm meal at Father Bill’s Kitchen or a family sharing dinner in stable housing for the first time in months, nourishment is never just physical, it is relational. I hope my kids will always look forward to a meal cooked by Mom. 

5) What are some of nonprofits' biggest needs right now, and how can we help?

Nonprofits are truly the fabric of our community, stepping in where there are gaps in housing, food security, mental health support and basic stability, and those gaps are growing more complex.

Financial support remains essential, but we also need sustained engagement from people willing to share their professional expertise. Attorneys, accountants, business leaders and strategic thinkers can help nonprofits operate wisely and sustainably, while creative planners and energetic volunteers bring events and outreach efforts to life.

As we prepare to celebrate St. Vincent de Paul North Idaho’s 80th anniversary this year, we are inviting the entire community to participate in honoring this legacy and shaping the next chapter. We are gathering stories from across the decades, planning anniversary events that connect past and present and offering 80th Anniversary Corporate Sponsorships (through March) that provide nine months of exposure across our summer and fall events and communications. It is a meaningful opportunity for businesses to align with an 80 year legacy of serving neighbors. You can click the link on the front page of our website to sign up to sponsor! 

This organization has endured because each generation has chosen to care for the next, and my hope is that we continue that tradition with open hearts, joyful giving and a shared commitment to one another.

Save the dates — 80th anniversary events:
July 19 - Hot Dogs and Hot Rods Event at the Hayden Furniture Depot
Sept. 17 - Under the Lighted Pines - 80th anniversary cruise, dinner and celebration at Camp Lutherhaven
Oct. 15 - Souport the End of Homelessness at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds
Nov. 20 - Hayden Chamber Fashion Show