News Photo by Alyssa Ochss Tom and Gerrie LaCross stand inside The Alpena News building.

ALPENA — For Tom and Gerrie LaCross, being a part of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul means more than just working in an Alpena store.

“There’s no need that’s foreign to the society,” Gerrie said. “We help with just about everything that people have a need for. If they need food, if they need medicine, if they need shelter, utilities, transportation, we do it all.”

Tom and Gerrie volunteer their time to offer home visits to people who need them as well as office hours two days a week. Whether someone is asking for a little more help or needs a shoulder to cry on, Tom said one of their main goals is to give people hope.

“This is a bump in the road, and you’re going to get through this with our help,” Tom said of their message to people. “It’s going to get better,”

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul started in 1833 in Europe, got its start in the U.S. in 1850, and began in Alpena in 1968 with the help of several local people.

“His father was one of the people,” Gerrie said. “There was a whole group of men that got together (for a) Catholic retreat, and out of that retreat these men said, ‘What are we going to do with what we’ve learned?’ So they contacted a guy in Lansing who was involved in St. Vincent’s, and asked him to come here, and he did.”

Both Tom and Gerrie joined the society in 1973 because it was the first year they allowed women to join.

As an organization, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Alpena has two main ways of giving back to the community. One is through a food pantry. People in need can call in to say they need grocery items and are provided with food.

Gerrie said they schedule about eight to 10 phone calls a day, which adds up to about 18 to 20 calls a week.

“But we do over and above those,” Gerrie said. “If we can’t get them into a schedule, we go do the home visit.”

The second way the society helps is through monetary donations through the sales in the St. Vincent de Paul thrift store. Most of the items on the store floor are donated to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul by individuals. Gerrie said once all the staff is paid, what’s left over is given to the referral office to give away.

She said the amount left over is somewhere between $3,500 and $4,000 per month. That is just in their own conference. Together with money from a conference in Ossineke, it adds up to about $7,000 to give away, Gerrie said.

Tom’s father inspired the couple to get involved with the Society of St. Vincent DePaul when they were both 18.

“That was part of it,” Gerrie said. “I mean, he was 15 when his dad started working at St. Vincent’s, and it just clicked with us. It just became a part of who we are. You know, it really spoke to our heart in terms of our Catholic faith.”

The best part of what they do, Gerrie said, is seeing the light in someone’s face when they get help, especially when it comes to little kids.

During a past holiday season, Tom’s family, made up of eight siblings, bought Christmas gifts for another family who also had eight children. Each of the siblings bought gifts for each of the other eight children, along with food and other Christmas decor. One of the little girls was excited to get orange juice.

“The little kids were just in awe,” Gerrie said “The little girl could have cared less about what packages were there. Presents that we put under the tree.”

Another time, a little girl in the pantry asked her mother for a cake mix for her birthday. Gerrie then walked around the counter, brought out a frozen cake for her, and said, “Happy Birthday, honey.”

“Those are the kinds of things that you just (enjoy),” Gerrie said. “To see those kids’ face(s) light up. You know, any difference you can make for kids.”

Both Tom and Gerrie said they would encourage others to get involved with their community.

“We would love to have more volunteers and more people working with us,” Gerrie said. “That would be amazing.”

Difference Makers is a weekly series that profiles Northeast Michigan residents who do extraordinary things to improve their communities and the lives of others in ways that include volunteering and their professional work.

If you know a local difference maker, please contact Alyssa Ochss at 989-358-5680 or aochss@thealpenanews.com.