Part of President Obama’s millions of dollars in stimulus money that was set aside for companies to go green with renewable energy projects was recently put to use for St. Vincent de Paul Phoenix. In May, Governor Jan 
Brewer announced that 14 Arizona non-profits were going to get some of the money and one of the 14 recipients was St. Vincent de Paul. SVdP received almost $50, 000 to install energy efficient lighting. Crews installed skylights into the warehouse and this upgrade will save big on energy costs. The skylights will save more than $1,000 a month simply in energy costs alone.
The energy cost savings means a lot for those who benefit from the support of St. Vincent de Paul. It means there is more money for food. There is more money to help people with their utilities bills and with their rent bills to keep them from becoming homeless. And there is more money for the medical clinic.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Hello,
I noticed that even though you spent the money to install the skylights both the Food Reclamation and Processing Centers still have their electric lights turned on. How will you possibly be a good steward of the money you were given if you are still waste electricity on the electric lights?
Thanks,
Mrs. Volunteer
Hello Mrs. Volunteer,
We are currently working on sensors that will turn on the electric lights during certain times of the day or on overcast days when we won’t get much sunlight. We take proper stewardship of our resources very seriously and are constantly looking for ways to operate more efficiently. The electric lights will be turned off as soon as the lighting system has been worked out.
Thanks for volunteering at SVdP. We couldn’t do all that we do without you!