Restoring Hope Community Breakfast 2025
In a morning full of joy and connection, nearly 1,300 supporters gathered at the Frank Lloyd Wright Ballroom inside the Arizona Biltmore for St. Vincent de Paul’s Restoring Hope Community Breakfast, a cherished annual tradition and fundraiser leading into the holidays.
This year's theme, "The Person in Front of Us," focused on the opportunity everyone has to help the person right in front of them, especially when need presents itself, and the joy there is to be had from helping in that moment. It's a reminder that many of us have the privilege of choice, and with it, the ability to show up, give, and help those who don’t yet have that same stability.
“Every day, I witness something extraordinary in our community: The quiet, powerful transformation that happens when one person chooses to truly see another, and to serve them with love,” SVdP's Rob & Melani Walton Endowed CEO Shannon Clancy said. “At St. Vincent de Paul, that’s where our mission begins: With presence, attention, and love. Whether it’s a meal served, a hand extended, or a moment of listening, we are called to serve, to see, to know—not systems, not statistics, but people. One person at a time. The person right in front of us.”
In her remarks, Shannon highlighted SVdP’s homelessness prevention efforts, which helped more than 8,600 individuals and families remain in their homes last year, along with transitional and permanent housing programs that rehoused 1,250 people.
Throughout the morning, speakers shared inspiring stories of transformation, including a story of financial assistance from Daniela Santangelo.
Daniela found herself in crisis after the dissolution of her marriage and being pushed out of the company she helped build. Trying to rebuild life with her two young sons, she turned to SVdP for support. Vincentian volunteers brought food and clothing, and later SVdP provided rental assistance so she could secure a home and a fresh start.
“It wasn’t just money,” Daniela said to the crowd, “It was dignity. It was someone saying, ‘I believe in you… you are so much more than this setback.’”
Later in the program, SVdP Chief Program Officer Jessica Berg highlighted how SVdP works to address community challenges like homelessness, food insecurity, and access to healthcare, one person at a time. She emphasized the role of Interim Housing Communities, where guests receive beds, case management, and supportive services while becoming part of the SVdP family. Through these programs, residents, like Chris Riley, find stability, purpose, and hope as they secure permanent housing.
Chris spent 15 years on the street, at one point living in a cistern underground. Many people might have considered Chris a lost cause, but not SVdP.
“We have a rallying call at St. Vincent de Paul, ‘Let None be Lost,’” said Jessica in her introduction of Chris' video story. “No person’s situation is a lost cause in our eyes — no matter the obstacles.”
Chris found support through SVdP’s transitional housing program at Ozanam Manor. With guidance, case management, and a place to call home, he was able to shed the weight of his past and start fresh. Now, Chris has his own apartment, renewed purpose, and a heart full of hope and gratitude.
As the morning wrapped up, everyone in the room left with a renewed sense of purpose, realizing that each person has or will encounter someone in need — and how will we react? Will we help the person in front of us just as others have helped us on our journeys? If we each uplift just one person, our collective efforts can together make great impact in bettering our community and creating stability and joy for those we serve and ourselves, not someday, but today.
