The Black Bag Collection is an annual opportunity for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul to reach more than 1.7 million Catholics in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston and ask for their help to support the poor and vulnerable in our community. The collection is a symbol of ONE SOCIETY coming together to help those in need. We rely heavily on this major source of funds for the Society to continue to accommodate the needs of our brothers and sisters who are without basic life essentials—most of which we so often take for granted.

In 1833, our founder, Blessed Frederic Ozanam, and the original members realized they needed money to fund their good works of charity. Because the giving capacity of the members varied, they decided to pass around a simple black bag so that each member could give what they could afford to give. Today, we continue this tradition. 

• Unlike many of our local Catholic organizations, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul does not receive DSF funding. Your generosity will help their programs serve people in our community with food, financial assistance, and other much-needed basic needs.
• In 2023, the Society helped 6,800 households with rental assistance. The average assistance provided was $456 per household.
• Last year, volunteers of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul spent 144,000 hours serving our friends and neighbors living in the Greater Houston Area. Our communities are stronger because of these amazing volunteers. Their contributions are a critical component of the Society’s core mission of providing person-to-person service to all in need.