St. Vincent de Paul of Northern Kentucky, a well-known Catholic service organization, kicked off the public side of a capital campaign to raise money for a new building Wednesday morning.
The new facility, which the organization hopes to break ground on this fall, will significantly expand the organization’s service capacity.
“This building is designed, first and foremost, around people and relationships,” said Executive Director Karen Zengel, “and people and relationships are what is making this building possible.”
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul, named for the eponymous priest born in 1581, was founded in the 1800s and has been operating in Northern Kentucky since 1911. The organization is known for its donation collections, thrift stores and various other services to the poor, which include everything from rent and utility assistance, homelessness services, food pantries and even low-interest microloans.
The organization’s current headquarters, located on Crescent Springs Road in Erlanger, was purchased in 1969. It was originally constructed as a warehouse.
St. Vincent de Paul has other donation centers and stores throughout NKY. Over time, the scope of the organization’s services has expanded to the point that the old HQ has become inadequate.
The new building is slated to be over 40,000 square feet and will feature several new amenities. These include a new welcome and outreach center, a chapel, private meeting rooms, a dedicated donation drop off, expanded parking, an expanded call center, and an expanded food pantry.
The thrift store and donation warehouse will increase. The new building will also sport a new multi-purpose room for community activities, cooking classes and other training courses. The new food pantry aims to double the organization’s food capacity.
“St Vincent would be really proud,” said Deacon Jim Fortner of the Blessed Sacrament Parish, who led attendees to the kickoff on Wednesday in prayer, “really proud.”
A diagram showing the layout of the new St. Vincent de Paul building. Diagram provided | St. Vincent de Paul of Northern Kentucky 
A rendering of a new meeting space. Rendering provided | St. Vincent de Paul of Northern Kentucky. 
A rendering of the new chapel. Rendering provided | St. Vincent de Paul of Northern Kentucky. Photo by Nathan Granger | LINK nky 
A rendering of the new thrift store exterior. Rendering provided | St. Vincent de Paul of Northern Kentucky. 
A rendering of the new thrift store exterior. Rendering provided | St. Vincent de Paul of Northern Kentucky 
A rendering of the new food pantry. Rendering provided | St. Vincent de Paul of Northern Kentucky 
A rendering of the new multi-purpose room. Rendering provided | St. Vincent de Paul of Northern Kentucky 
A rendering of the new outreach center. Rendering provided | St. Vincent de Paul of Northern Kentucky
The campaign hopes to raise about $12 million to construct the new building, which will be located on a six-acre plot of land near Allie’s Walkabout in Erlanger, not far from the current building.
The organization has already received a commitment of about $9 million from various institutions and people, including the R.C. Durr Foundation, the Butler Foundation, Ken Arlinghaus and the Conway family. Some of the segments of the new building will bear these contributors’ names.
Kenton County has also contributed money to the project. In October of 2023, the Kenton County Fiscal Court contributed $360,000 from its senior funding to support the capital campaign. St. Vincent de Paul may receive more funding from the county in the future, but that process is ongoing.
“We greatly need and invite the broader community to support us with their generosity and prayers to push the campaign across the goal line,” said Marty Butler, chair of the Butler Foundation.
You can learn more about the campaigns and the new building, including how to donate at svdpnky.org/capital-campaign.