Troy Herring (left) oversees the registration table at the annual Friends of the Poor Walk on Sept. 19 at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows (Liz Quirin photo).
By Linda Norris
Messenger Staff
“Help relieve poverty, one step at a time …”
This is what about 100 people did Sept. 19 at the 18th Annual Friends of the Poor Walk, sponsored by the Belleville Council of St. Vincent de Paul (SVDP).
On a hot and humid Saturday morning, participants walked the grounds of the Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows in Belleville. They collected pledges from family and friends to donate to SVDP. One hundred percent of the funds raised directly help serve those in need.
One of the key people who helps determine how those funds are used is Troy Herring, the first-year executive director of the SVDP Belleville Council. Herring, 40, of Smithton, began in this role in February.
Herring worked for more than 11 years at Catholic Urban Programs in East St. Louis, which was originally founded by the late Joe Hubbard. Hubbard was well known in the Diocese of Belleville for his decades-long work with the poor, especially as executive director of the Belleville Council of St. Vincent de Paul.
Several years ago, Herring became the chief operating officer at the St. Vincent de Paul Center in East St. Louis, working with Pat Hogrebe, who was then the executive director.
“The weight of the possibility of taking this job after Joe and Pat, I mean, they are saints,” Herring said when asked how he felt about filling the “big shoes” of Hubbard and Hogrebe.
“It weighs on me a little bit, but it’s just something to aspire to,” he said.
Herring’s personality differs from Hubbard and Hogrebe, but he said: “I know what I need to know. I know what they built, and I want to maintain it, if not build it further.
“I’m thankful Pat’s still around to be able to mentor me and guide me through a lot of this. It’s now on my plate. And having Pat here is incredibly valuable. She’s still doing the charity that she’s always done, and it’s just amazing.”
Hogrebe is planning to retire as soon as her replacements are in place.
Walking in the footsteps — “one step at a time” — of those before him, Herring will assist SVDP in providing direct assistance for necessities, such as utilities, rent, transportation and food, along with the Outreach Center, Soup Kitchen, Thrift Store and OverNite Center, in addition to the many services and programs offered in East St. Louis.
The center is currently in need of individually packaged food items and will begin distributing winter coats and clothing in October.
(For more information about the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Belleville Council and how to donate, visit svdpsouthil.org)