By Ron Giofu
The St. Vincent de Paul’s Helping Hands Friendship group out of Windsor teamed with the SSVP Amherstburg chapter recently on an outing for the group.
The St. Vincent de Paul Society’s St. John the Baptist Conference organized a picnic in Toddy Jones Park for a busload of visitors from the SSVP Helping Hands Friendship Group. The latter group meets in west Windsor, out of the society’s location within the former Blessed Sacrament Church. The picnic also included residents from Cardinal Place Retirement Community, also from Windsor’s west end.
Penny Craig, chair of the Friendship Centre Committee, said their group does various things for the Windsor residents including card games, singalongs, other games and outings.

The St. Vincent de Paul Society’s St. John the Baptist Conference organized a picnic in Toddy Jones Park for a busload of visitors from the SSVP Helping Hands Friendship Group.
“We provide fun things to do,” she said. “It’s an extension of our work as a charitable organization. It’s fun. It costs (the participants) nothing.”
Craig said it provides something meaningful for people who need it in the west end of Windsor.
They reached out to see what they could do for an outing and the St. John the Baptist Conference in Amherstburg stepped up.
“Our group made the sandwiches and provided the drinks,” said Sharron Bombardier.
The group also received a price break on ice cream when they stopped by the Waterfront Ice Cream Parlour, added Bombardier. The group then received a bus tour of the town before heading back to Windsor.