Calling all Facebook friends to help the homeless

If you’re on Facebook, St. Vincent de Paul of North Idaho needs you.

The agency’s transitional housing program is competing for a $25,000 prize in a charity challenge taking place on the social media network. In order to win the money, St. Vincent de Paul Transitional Housing must amass the most votes among five competing nonprofits.

To cast your vote, visit:  Windermere Charity Challenge

St. Vincent de Paul Transitional Housing is the only North Idaho nonprofit in the running. It's up against four other nonprofits in Spokane, Wenatchee, the Tri-Cities, and Helena, Mont.

St. Vinnie’s was in third place Monday, but there are two weeks to turn that around.

Voting is open until April 4, and each person can cast a vote online once a day.

The challenge is being offered by the Windermere Foundation.

"We wanted to honor the Windermere Foundation's 25th anniversary in a way that would engage our agents, offices, and the public, while raising awareness for our non-profit partners," said OB Jacobi, president of Windermere Real Estate, in a press release.

For the past 25 years, the Windermere Foundation has donated a portion of the proceeds from every home purchased or sold through Windermere towards supporting low-income and homeless families in communities throughout the Western U.S. As Windermere has grown through the years, so too has the Windermere Foundation, which now encompass ten states and has raised over $26 million for non-profit organizations that provide shelter, clothing, children's programs, emergency assistance, and other services to those in need.

For St. Vincent de Paul, North Idaho’s largest provider of services for the poor, helping the homeless is much more than providing food and shelter. The agency works, through its transitional housing program and accompanying services, to help individuals and families climb up and out of homelessness to become self-sufficient in their own homes.