What’s cooking this week at St. Anthony Dining Room!

Monday, August 31st – Singapore Chicken
With noodles.

Tuesday, September 1st – Chili Con Carne
Beef, beans, and chilies simmered in tomatoes.

Wednesday, September 2nd – Coq au Vin
A French dish of chicken, mushrooms and wine (no alcohol).

Thursday, September 3rd – Spaghetti with Meat Sauce
Beef and tomato sauce over noodles.

Friday, September 4th – Saigon Chicken
Ginger and cilantro highlight the flavors of this dish.

Saturday, September 5th – Black Bean Burrito
Flour tortilla, rice, cheese and salsa.

Sunday, September 6th – Baked Chicken
With brown rice pilaf and vegetables.

Check back for weekly installments of On The Menu!

With obesity on the rise in the US, experts are constantly looking for ways to positively influence weight loss and healthier living. The time honored tradition of weight loss has always been “calories in, calories out,” meaning more exercise leads to more rapid, increased weight loss. However, recent studies have focused more on the concept that not all calories are created equal — and the best way to lose weight is more so a change of diet as opposed to excessive workouts.

People who are overweight or obese are at high risk for type 2 diabetes as a direct result of poor physical activity levels and diet. Yet, as a recent article in The Chronical points out, it may be more important for people to change their diets rather than depend on exercise to lose unhealthy pounds. Physical activity does affect the body’s ability to metabolize insulin, but a diet of lean meats, whole grains, and fruits and vegetables is more effectively metabolized than a diet high in saturated fat. People are more likely to lose weight by balancing what they eat, a fact not widely known to the public.

At St. Anthony Free Medical Clinic health and nutrition counseling is included in our Diabetes Care Management Program to provide our patients with the necessary tools to take control of their health. By teaching our clients how to better understand nutrition labels they are able to select foods more beneficial to maintaining healthy weight and blood sugar. Healthy eating can be difficult, especially for our low income and homeless clients, but our program guides patients in accessing nutritious food and increases their ability for self management. Everyone can relate — just 10-20 minutes of mild-to-moderate exercise a day and a balanced diet can mean a world of difference for us all.

A few years back, I saw a greeting card that said “ What the world really needs is a good LISTENING to!” I don’t know who coined this evocative turn of a well know phrase, but I haven’t forgotten its message. During our Volunteer Orientations we typically cite the words attributed to Francis of Assisi: “Preach the Gospel often; use words only when necessary”. The relationship between these quotations is one that I see and treasure daily here at St. Anthony’s. A volunteer, delivering a lunch tray with a smile to a waiting and hungry guest in the Dining Room is a core example of this relationship. Conversely, many of our volunteers say that it is our guests who initiate smiles and kindly jokes…lifting the spirits of the volunteers and the staff!

Looking a little deeper into the notions of “actions speaking” and “attentive listening”, it’s clear that much of the healing that goes on here at St. Anthony’s is rooted in these ways serving one another. Recently, in the reflection period following the Dining Room experience, one of our young volunteers shared that he hadn’t really “connected” with the fellow he sat next to on his break, because the man hadn’t wanted to talk. But we talked about that, about the willingness to simply be present, to sit there and not force conversation on someone, of accepting a person for who they are in that moment, of making room for a person to feel accepted.

On the other hand, words can be healing too! I was serving in the Dining Room one day last week, when I noticed one of our guests wearing a button. I voiced the words “I am loved”; “Yeah!” he grinned. “I found it on the street and I put it on right away!” His smile & joy were wonderfully contagious, and I caught a good case of it from him.

With the sad news of Senator Ted Kennedy’s death, and the extensive media coverage of his legacy, I’m struck by how much of his dedication to service, of a family commitment to “giving back” is very, very resonant with the ways of the St. Anthony Foundation family. I got a call recently from one of the Seniors who eats regularly in the Dining Room. “Can I volunteer? I want to give something back.” And now, this person is volunteering as well. Does that mean everyone should? No, not at all– there are myriad ways that we can support one another’s well being. Our volunteers are always voicing how they feel so appreciated by guests and by staff. It’s not so much a back & forth as it is a circle of giving and receiving; of actions and of listening. And in these times of so much uncertainty and struggle, thank goodness we can count on the basic generosity of caring for one another. If I ever get discouraged, and I do, all I need to do is to watch and listen to our guests and volunteers for a moment or two, to revive my faith in “our better angels”.

Venita is a senior in the Tenderloin who is raising her 6 year old grandson, who this year will start first grade. Tran, another Tenderloin resident and single parent, is helping his 9 year old son get ready for the new school year as well. While back-to-school time is exciting for both families, it is also a time when the added expenses of school clothes and supplies can create an added economic strain. A list of school supplies expected from students and parents including binder paper, notebooks, book covers and pencils, in addition to classroom supplies such as tissue paper, copy paper and Band-Aids, often come from the teacher weeks before school begins. Not having a second income to rely on in a tumbling economy, or enough from a primary income to cover basic necessities, the free backpacks offered to neighborhood children by St. Anthony Foundation come right on time. According to the last census (2000), single parents account for 27 percent of family households with children under 18; it is anticipated that number will increase in the 2010 census.

With one of the city’s highest concentrations of children and some of the lowest income levels, Tenderloin children have many challenges to accessing basic needs such as education, healthy food, and school supplies. To help students and parents work together on building a successful school year, St. Anthony Foundation will hand out free backpacks filled with dictionaries, notebooks, and school supplies to neighborhood children in St. Anthony’s Green Services Building located at 150 Golden Gate Avenue in San Francisco on August 27, 2009 at 5pm. Single parent families will be on site to share their story of single parenting in the Tenderloin, and how critical social services support is for filling in the gaps for their children.

The backpacks range in colors, sizes, and shapes, as will the students who receive them. The backpacks are donated by groups or individuals through Family Giving Tree and Raft, and are filled with school supplies.

OneWebDay, the event held on Tuesday, September 22 where people worldwide show how the internet effects their lives, will have it’s own offering right here in San Francisco’s Tenderloin.

The Internet is becoming increasingly important to our guests and clients in obtaining employment, education, accessing health care, and staying connected to loved ones. The Tenderloin Tech Lab, a collaboration between St. Anthony’s and Network Ministries, gives those without personal access to the internet a place to learn, login and connect.

Low-income, homeless or marginally housed people wanting more information on the internet are invited to come down to St. Anthony’s on Tuesday, September 22 between 1-5pm to learn about internet safety and security.

Interested in volunteering for this event? Click here.

Homelessness and substance abuse are linked, and are associated with alarmingly high mortality rates. Mortality, a very scientific and dissociative way of saying people are dying in the streets, literally, before finding help with addiction. The average age a homeless person in San Francisco dies is 41. Seventy-eight percent of those who die on the streets are intoxicated at the time they die.

That is dark, difficult to hear, and incredibly saddening. But somehow that has not been enough for the city of San Francisco to help to it’s residents who are dying on the streets by offering comprehensive drug and alcohol rehabilitation to those who most need it, and saving the programs that DO WORK from complete elimination during budget season.

According to the San Francisco City Fire Division intervention, and diversion programs work. As Chronicle  columnist C.W. Nevius has pointed out, repeat ambulance transport and emergency care spent on homeless users is very costly to the city. One of such intervention programs, McMillan Drop-In Center, created beds for emergency response calls dealing with intoxication to bring people to detox, sign-up for drug and alcohol recovery programs, and receive counseling and social services support to further stabilize themselves. In one year this program brought 300 people into detox and recovery programs, and 750 people case management linking them with critical supportive services such as housing.

Through this program “a number of high-profile homeless inebriates have been engaged and housed,” according to the San Francisco Medical Society’s study of the program. The SF Fire Department, St. Francis Hospital, SF General and other partners were thrilled by the success of the project, saving money and more importantly helping increase health and stability of at-risk San Franciscans.

But that was not enough to save the service, and McMillan Drop-In Center was cut. A similar program, Buster’s Place, was initiated in the same rite and same location. This program too, was cut.

Emergency visits are costly. Critical care is costly. Without the preventative care, supportive services and case management that help people become stable and seek help before it becomes an “emergency”, these costs will continue. To see that this is a problem in hindsight takes no special talent. But, to take action and create and support (especially in difficult times of budget crises) programs that comprehensively address the dangerous problem of drug and alcohol abuse, that takes determination and compassion. Criticizing those the system has failed has no productive ends, criticizing the failing system can bring about powerful change that makes a stronger city and citizenry.

Monday, August 24th – Split Pea Stew
Split pea soup has been known as a hearty favorite since Greek and Roman times as early as 500 to 400 B.C, as documented by Apicius, Rome’s first cookbook author of the ancient world. Since the pea was commonly grown throughout Europe, variations of split pea soup has been present in the regional cuisine of Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, and the United Kingdom. Our Split pea Stew is thick and flavorful, with vegetables and potatoes balancing out this delicious and hearty stew.

Tuesday August 25th – Beef and Orzo
Orzo pasta is special, melon-seed shaped pasta that is perfect for juicy sauces or delicate salads. Our Beef and Orzo is topped with tangy feta cheese for a Mediterranean delight.

Wednesday August 26th – Baked Halibut
Halibut is the largest of the flatfish and one of the largest of the saltwater fish with catches that weight in at up to 660 pounds. Its firm white meat and delicately sweet flavor, combined with its high nutritional value, make it a favorite among fish lovers. Our halibut is baked and served with fresh tomatoes and corn sauce.

Thursday August 27th – Lemon Chicken Ginger
Although it was well-known to the ancient Romans, ginger nearly disappeared in Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire. Thanks to Marco Polo’s trip to the Far East, ginger came back into favor in Europe, becoming not only a much-coveted spice, but also a very expensive one. Combined with lemon, it makes a delicious and zesty marinate, perfect for chicken, and especially delicious when complemented by rice and veggies, as it will be today in the St. Anthony Dining Room.

Friday August 28th – Ham Chowder
You’ve heard of clam chowder, but ham chowder is even tastier! Rich, flavorful, and filling, this hearty chowder is made with potassium rich potatoes simmered with ham and vegetables. MMMMMMMmmmm!

Saturday August 29th – Turkey Tetrazinni
Who knows if Turkey Tetrazinni was really named after the Florence born opera singer who gave a free concert in San Francisco after declaring to a contentious New York court, “I will sing in San Francisco if I have to sing there in the streets, for I know the streets of San Francisco are free.” What we do know is our Turkey Tetrazzini is worth singing about, with its rapturous whitesauce covered noodles tempered with succulent morsels of turkey throughout.

Sunday August 30th – Sesame Soy Braised Pork
“Braising” is a special way to cook meat by browning it in fat, then simmering it in a small quantity of liquid so that its flavor becomes very full and the meat very tender. The word comes from the French braiser, from braise, or hot charcoal. Today’s special Sunday meal is pork braised in sesame and soy sauce, for a salty and delectable flavor.

Last month, a donor who recognized the pressing needs of today reached out with a matching grant of $50,000. Hundreds of donors responded to the challenge helping St. Anthony’s reach a goal of a 100% match. Because of your donations, the community impact literally DOUBLED – and as St. Anthony’s stretches to help the influx of people trying to make ends meet, your participation is providing critical support.

Thank you again. If you would like informational on other ways to impact the lives of those in need, including volunteering, donating clothing, or advocating, please let us know. We are extremely appreciative of your contribution, but more importantly so are the people whose lives you will positively impact with your contribution.

There is a French saying that nostalgia is like an old woman who throws out fine linens yet clings to rags.  As I get ready to retire two weeks from today, I find myself clinging to all sorts of memories from these last 11 years, working here at St. Anthony’s.  Like that old woman, I’m having trouble distinguishing between linen and rags.  Here are a couple of items that, for me anyway, are too fine to forget.

One cold winter day (or was it a cold summer day?), I was walking down the ramp into St. Anthony’s Dining Room.  I could hear that someone in the lobby was at the piano and playing that great gospel song “Precious Lord, Take My Hand”.  (Dr. Thomas Dorsey, the godfather of gospel music, wrote it after his wife died.  Mahalia Jackson sang it at Martin Luther King’s funeral.)  As I neared the lobby I could hear that there were also people singing the hymn.  Sure enough.  A small crowd had circled the piano and were swaying like a church choir.  I was curious to see who was leading them in song and was stunned to see that it was an old friend.  Dionne is a survivor.  Due to serious mental health issues, and resulting behaviors, she has been “86′d” from just about every social service agency on either side of the Bay.  On her good days Dionne might be your ideal, iconic grandmother.  On the bad ones she could be a terror!  On every day, regardless of the weather, she wore multiple coats and carried all her worldly belongings in two overstuffed black plastic garbage bags, shuffling along with great effort, weighted down by age, illness and increasing isolation.  But there she was in the lobby at St. Anthony’s, making music that must have made the angels weep.  And for just a moment I thought I caught a glimpse of that Kingdom of God that Jesus preached about, and of that Beloved Community that Doctor King dreamed about.

My first Christmas at St. Anthony’s was preceded by a week of the coldest weather in recorded San Francisco history.  There was snow on top of all the hills and driving rains each night that were like monsoons.  A couple notches lower on the thermometer and we would have had a disaster.  But if you were homeless, you already had one!  The weather was so bad that various agencies were opening up space during the days and nights to welcome those without shelter.  As I snuggled in my comfortable bed in North Beach each night and tried to get to sleep, I was haunted by the realization that thousands of my fellow San Franciscans were somehow enduring this – outside!!  One morning that week, just after the rains had stopped, I got off the bus at Market and Golden Gate and walked towards St. Anthony’s.  As I got to our corner I noticed three of our guests on the curb near the Dining Room entrance.  They were all Viet Nam War vets and had been homeless for years.  (Talk about survivors!)  As I got close to them I blurted out, “Oh guys, last night must have been awful!”  And one of them, without a moment’s hesitation, said, as though to calm me, “Nah, Fitz. It washed the piss smells off the sidewalk!”  Think about that for a moment.  Read between the lines.  If there were any 3 people in the whole city who might have had a right to be bitter and resentful that morning it was surely those guys.  And that wasn’t where their minds and hearts were at all.  They’d actually found something positive to celebrate!  Later that day, and on countless days since, it has occurred to me that those dear, wounded warriors were precisely the sort of folks Jesus of Nazareth must have been talking about when he began the Sermon on the Mount by saying, “Blessed are the Poor.”

Times are hard and you have your own worries. But you know that times aren’t any easier for the people who come to St. Anthony Foundation for help. We have some easy ways you can keep giving, or even give more, to buy food, clothing, and medical care for your low-income neighbors. Here’s Easy Giving Number 1.

If you work for a corporation or large company, find out if they match employee donations to non-profits.

Ask your Human Resources staff for the form. Enclose it with your next gift to St. Anthony Foundation. We’ll complete the form and return it to your company.

(Check it first for questions we might not know the answer to and fill those out for us.)

If your company runs an employer matching gifts program, you will double your gift without giving a dollar more. That will mean your money buys twice the meals, twice the doctor visits, twice the job coaching sessions.

If people like you take simple steps like this, we really will get through the hard times, together.