The Holy Name St. Vincent de Paul Society is hosting its 16th annual Walk for the Poor on Sunday, Oct. 18, at the Holy Name Rotary in West Roxbury at 1 p.m..

The Walk regularly garners hundreds of participants to raise money for the St. Vincent de Paul Charity wing of the Holy Name Parish, but they’re not alone. This year, organizer Bob Malone said they are partnering with the St. John Chrysostom Church, also in West Roxbury, to join hundreds of such walks throughout the country.

“Everyone’s meeting at Holy Name and there will be two tables, one for St. John’s and one for Holy Name,” he said. “It’ll be a 5K walk through West Roxbury.”

Malone said there will be light refreshments after the walk, as well as information and some entertainment. He said all the funds raised will go to the St. Vincent de Paul Society chapters of both churches.

Malone said St. Vincent uses the funds to help anyone in need, which these days can be a lot of people.

“St. Vincent does a lot of charity work, and it’s an anonymous program that helps folks behind the scenes,” he said. “And it’s not necessarily people from the Parish, just someone in need. People sometimes call up, say ‘Hey I just lost my job and if I don’t pay up my electric bill, it’ll be shut off,’ or ‘I just need to make rent for the month,’ and things like that.”

Malone said they also provide donations from Habitat for Humanity.

“They can get a couch or table or whatever they need, and St. Vincent will get a discount from Habitat because they bought it from them,” he said. “They’re really behind the scenes.”

Malone said Holy Name St. Vincent helped out his wife when she was in need.

“When my sister had cancer and she needed some things done around the house – she had younger kids coming to stay with her – the Holy Name chapter helped her with paying contractors and things like that,” he said. “They’ve helped a lot of people through the years.”

Malone added that he felt he had to return the favor.

Advertisement

“Holy Name helped my sister, and then over the years, I've been friendly with different people who were part of the organization, and they're just great people,” he said. “And so recently, when I retired, I said, ‘you know, I want to do a little bit more.’”

Malone said they get estate donations from people who will the church their belongings, food vouchers and simply donations from parishioners coming out of church every week. Every little bit helps.

“Like I said, sometimes it's substantial, and sometimes it's just like food, you know, gift cards from Roche Bros. or Stop & Shop,” he said. “Roche Bros. is particularly generous.”

Malone said St. John’s will be holding up its end of the work as well, and said the walk is also an educational experience for the kids.

“The Confirmation class from St. John's will be working the tables and walking and carrying the banner and stuff like that,” he said. “So it's good for the kids to realize that there are people who aren't as privileged as they are. It's a good life lesson.”

For more information on St. Vincent de Paul, go to https://ssvpusa.org

For race signups, go to https://gvimes.link/hlynmwlk2026