Local History

Since 1924, St. Vincent de Paul of Des Moines has been a vital part of central Iowa. What began just northwest of 6th Avenue and Clark Street has grown over the past 100 years, while our founding mission remains the same: to help us help others. Fueled by this mission, local Catholic parishes, community members, volunteers, and staff continue to show up and do the necessary work to help neighbors in need.

In 1956, SVdP was blessed with a larger space at 1426 6th Avenue, allowing us to better serve families through our food, hygiene, and clothing pantry, as well as our thrift store. When the roof collapsed in 2009, our leadership saw an opportunity to rebuild, grow, and strengthen our services. Today, our 6th Avenue location is home to food, clothing, and hygiene support, the Tom Varilek Adult Basic Education Center, the Back2Work preparation program, and essential homeless outreach efforts. We are grateful to continue changing lives from this historic location.

In 2016, SVdP partnered with the Polk County Supervisors and A Partnership for a Hunger-Free Polk County to address the largest food desert in Polk County. This collaboration led to the creation of our Southside campus at 520 Army Post Road. Today, the campus brings together a thrift store, food, clothing, and hygiene pantry, Immersion Re-entry services, and strategic partnerships with WIC and InnerVisions HealthCare. By offering wraparound services in one location, we continue our commitment to helping the whole person and removing barriers for those we serve.

In 2023, as the community continued to feel the lasting impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, SVdP recognized that needs remained high while donations and funding opportunities could become less certain. In response, SVdP purchased a new location in Windsor Heights to expand our mission, increase awareness of community needs, and establish a welcoming home for our third thrift store. This store provides affordable household goods and everyday necessities while generating critical funding to support our broader programs and services for neighbors in need.