By Amy White
The Texas Catholic
People find themselves in difficult financial situations for a number of reasons, Andrea Lambe shared — an unexpected injury, job loss, a lack of community support. The job of volunteers is to offer assistance but also respect and a sense of dignity to these struggling neighbors.
Lambe, who attends the Church of the Incarnation, joined the Holy Family of Nazareth conference of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in 2016, spurred by a desire to make a difference in the Irving community. As a new member of the conference, she quickly proved to be savvy and resourceful, according to Martha Korioth, a founding member of the conference.
“My first societal work with her was when she had found a freezer at a good sale price, and I went along to do whatever I could to help get that into a truck and get that back to our property,” Korioth recalled. “She was very aware of proper food handling and all of those kinds of things, and so she kept us informed.”
Lambe brings that same know-how into her current role as vice president of the Holy Family of Nazareth conference. In that role, Lambe has taken on a lot of responsibilities, including overseeing the conference’s food pantry. She manages paperwork, makes pickups at Kroger, and assists with mobile food truck deliveries.
“We deliver food mainly for the homebound or people without vehicles; it might be someone in a hotel, apartment, seniors,” she explained. “Lots of seniors don’t have a vehicle or aren’t able to get out, so we deliver food to them in person.”
Lambe also conducts home visits. Members of the conference receive requests for assistance on their help line — calls for rental assistance, utility assistance, and a variety of other forms of support — then a pair of Vincentians makes a home visit to learn more about how the conference can assist.
“Part of that visit is to listen, to provide a listening ear and provide prayer,” Lambe said, “and then we bring that back to our weekly conference meeting to see what our donations are for the week and see how we might be able to help.”
Lambe said her favorite moments are when the conference is able to help families with children.
“Some have lived in cars; some are six-seven people in a hotel room, which is not the right type of living conditions,” she explained. “When you see children get excited over you bringing in food, it really touches your heart. You know they’ve gone without.”
Korioth, who sometimes accompanies Lambe on these visits, said that her eye for detail is invaluable. Lambe notices needs that might be overlooked by someone less astute, and she is handy with suggesting solutions.
“I trust that if I’m at a loss for a resource or a suggestion for a family that we’re helping, she’s got that in her head just stored to share,” Korioth said.
One way Lambe keeps abreast of the resources available within the community is through her involvement with the Irving Community Action Network. Lambe is her SVdP conference’s representative in the network.
As a member of ICAN, she assists with the group’s Inclement Weather Shelter, which supports unhoused members of the Irving community during freezing weather. The shelter can accommodate 85 adults, offering food, showers, and bedding to them.
Lambe also keeps an eye open at network meetings for any helpful resources that could be utilized by her conference.
“She gathers current information about what’s available as far as resources for the people that we serve through St. Vincent de Paul,” Korioth said. “She’s very good as an advocate.”
Reflecting on her role as “advocate” to her community, Lambe expressed gratitude: Serving as a volunteer has given her the privilege of walking alongside members of her community in their difficult moments. She said she enjoys being able to provide them with the help they need; but she also knows it can be hard for people to ask for help.
“They’re anxious; they’re embarrassed; they’ve maybe had a car accident, maybe missed some hours of work, just a gap in their overall life plan;” so, she said, she is committed to treating them with compassion but also with respect and understanding, in order “to bring hope to all.”
Cutline for featured image: Andrea Lambe, vice president of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul’s Holy Family of Nazareth conference in Irving, is pictured in the Holy Family of Nazareth food pantry, where she regularly volunteers. (AMY WHITE/The Texas Catholic)
