SPRING GREEN — The St. Vincent de Paul (SVdP) River Valley Conference has been hard at work for the past few months as they near completion of a new SVdP store in Spring Green. The grand opening is set for Friday, Dec. 4.

Hard at work

The new store and outreach center is a substantial undertaking, but one that is nearing the finish line, which they hope will help them serve their neighbors even better.

The project officially broke ground in November 2025. 

After construction advanced sufficiently, work began to ready the inside for business. 

Directed by Andrea Kinney, volunteer coordinator, and Callie Boleyn, store manager, volunteers have been pricing goods, setting up donated shelving, and arranging items, preparing for the upcoming grand opening.

The new building features the retail store, an outreach office, and a small warehouse space with a loading dock for donations.

The building will operate in partnership with the SVdP store in Baraboo, which has a larger warehouse space to store the excess donations and will also assist with operations.

The SVdP store in Reedsburg has also helped, serving as a location for pricing items while the Spring Green building was still under construction.

Collaboration has been the name of the game for this whole project. 

Parishioners, local businesses, and other members of the community have all pitched in. 

From successful fundraisers to donated shelving and cabinetry from Lands’ End, OfficeMax, and Sauk Prairie Healthcare, it’s been a true community effort.

“Word got out. Donations came in,” said Dennis Olson, building chairperson. 

“People just came forward, and we’re close to having it paid without a mortgage.”

The conference hopes to open the store without a mortgage so that any profits can go directly to assistance in the community, instead of towards interest on a loan. 

To donate and help them meet that goal, contact SVDPRiverValley@gmail.com or 608-588-5044.

A wall display is planned as a prominent feature at the store entrance to honor those who’ve donated to the project. 

Active service

The local SVdP conference — affiliated with Ss. Joachim and Anne Parish — is an active one.

“What’s so wonderful about the whole experience is it’s brought our conference and our group of volunteers closer together, to work on a mission that we’re all pretty excited about,” said Joan Zahalka, president of the SVdP River Valley Conference. 

“It gives us an opportunity to grow in friendship, grow in spirituality, and you know, some days we might be having a bad day, but Denny’s having a great day, so he’s picking up somebody else. Because when you first look at this project, it’s daunting.”

Daunting the project might be, but Zahalka’s embraced it with enthusiasm, leading with a heart that cares deeply for those in need. 

Even in the midst of construction, the conference’s work continues — a food drive occurred last month, and they are planning for a “giving tree” this month. 

They help throughout the year when people need assistance with rent, gas, and other expenses.

Outreach center

The conference has been meeting with people via home visits, but Zahalka estimated that about 50 percent of people would prefer the option to meet privately in the outreach center. 

So she’s happy that they’ll be able to offer that, and that it will be conveniently located between the Community Food Pantry of Spring Green and the community gardens, which will hopefully make it easier for people to access.

Zahalka shared about a woman who had struggled to reach out to her, not wanting to ask for help. 

“We hear that a lot around here. Because it’s a farm community, and you don’t want to be embarrassed . . . it’s different than Madison, where nobody knows you . . . and she said, ‘I don’t know what to tell you, Joan, I’m just so embarrassed.’ And I said, ‘You’re normal.’ I said, ‘Everybody we talk to says, “I didn’t want to ask for help.”’” 

Kinney had a story from someone her husband ran into at the grocery store. 

“‘I’ve needed the food pantry, and I can’t wait for St. Vincent de Paul,’ she said, and she was probably in her 70s, and she said, ‘I was always the giver, and things have happened in my life where now I need to be the receiver.’ And [he said], ‘Well, we’ve all had those times in our life, right? Sometimes you can give more, and sometimes you need a little help.’”

The profits of the store will stay local, specifically helping those in the River Valley School District or others referred to their conference.  

That is the SVdP model — a store that not only provides goods at prices lower than new, but simultaneously funds the good works of the conference to help neighbors in need. 

Zahalka emphasized that this was the reason for building a new store and outreach office — to be able to better serve their neighbors. 

Following the saints

They’re inspired by the example of the Vincentian saints, four of whom – St. Vincent de Paul, St. Louise de Marillac, Blessed Frédéric Ozanam, and Blessed Rosalie Rendu — will be pictured on large banners at the store. 

Blessed Ozanam founded the lay Society of St. Vincent de Paul, and the other three saints were religious in the Vincentian family.

“I love, I think it’s [in]Matthew, the ‘whatever you do for the least of my people, that you do unto me.’ I love that,” said Kinney (Matthew 25:40). 

“You have to love your neighbors, and I, in this world right now, we have to focus on that. So take care of each other, because some people are having it easy, and some people are having it hard, and let’s make it work for the ones who are in the spot we’ve been in at times.”

The conference is grateful for the encouragement and support of Bishop Donald J. Hying of Madison, who has served as the national episcopal advisor for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in the United States.

Support from the parish

They’ve also been blessed to have strongly supportive local priests ever since the conference was founded, most recently Fr. Luke Syse, pastor of Ss. Joachim and Anne Parish. 

“He’s been fantastic, the last three years,” said Zahalka.

“The St. Vincent de Paul River Valley Conference is a force for good in my parish,” Father Syse commented. 

“It is no surprise that they are opening a thrift store and outreach center — their good work has not gone unnoticed in our community. When they visit the homes of people in need, they bring the warmth of Christ.”

Thanks to the priests’ active encouragement and their own good hearts, the parish is also strongly supportive. 

Most of the volunteers involved are parishioners; many of them are retirees who are generously giving their time.

“For Lent last year, we had the students at St. John’s [School in Spring Green] bring in a toy . . . to donate to St. Vincent de Paul . . . The principal worked really closely with us on that, and we ended up with a bunch of bags of toys,” said Zahalka. 

“Father Luke’s goal was to start to incorporate the Catholic school up in Plain, St. Luke’s, and the Catholic school here . . . St. John’s, to get the Faith Formation kids involved. 

“What a great venue to have them involved, because again it becomes evangelization, and we’re preaching the Gospel, by our outreach.”

The grand opening celebration, which will include Bishop Hying and community leaders, will take place on Friday, Dec. 4, at 12 noon.

The store is located at 890 Westmor St. in Spring Green.

The store already has significant clothing and housewares sections, a good number of toys and DVDs, including a stuffed animal section that’s overflowing, and a selection of Christmas décor ready for December 4.