EASTON — Although it no longer operates as an addiction recovery facility, Fresh Start founder Tori Brummell wants to see the good works she started in March of 2008 continue.

Fresh Start was a nonprofit transitional supportive housing program for people recovering from substance abuse addiction.

“When we closed our doors, we had funds remaining which I wanted to use to continue to help those in need in our community,” says Ms. Brummell. “So, I decided to donate the funds to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, because they had been so supportive of our work in the past. I also knew that, since it is an all-volunteer organization, SVdP would use all the money to assist those in need."

The total amount donated was $5,395.73.

“We are extremely grateful to Tori for this generous donation” says SVdP Vice President Steve Cossu. “I so admire her for her pioneering efforts on behalf of the people whose lives she helped to change through Fresh Start. She did amazing work sacrificing her time, talent and so much more to assist men who needed a way out of their addictions.”

Mr. Cossu added, “Rest assured, all the money which Tori donated will be used to relieve poverty in our community.”

Vincent de Paul (24 April 1581 – 27 September 1660) was a Catholic priest who dedicated his life to serving the poor. He is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion.

When the Society was founded in France in 1833, its members named their group after the saint.

The Society's nearly 100,000 trained volunteers in the United States provided 12.5 million hours of volunteer service in 2018, helping more than 5.4 million people of all faiths through visits to homes, prisons and hospitals at a value of more than $1.1 billion dollars. To learn more, visit www.svdpusa.org.