Ed Note: This week’s entry was written by Katie, St. Anthony’s intern from Dartmouth College. Next week marks her final days in San Francisco. We wish Katie well and thank her for spending her winter with us!

As my two months at St. Anthonys come to a close I find myself doing a lot of reflecting. There are many things I’m going to miss: my morning chats with Indian Joe, serving trays, handing out milk, and even folding countless tiny plastic bags at the ToGo station in the dining room. However, I’ve also been contemplating some of the important things I’ve learned.

One of the primary realizations that has dawned upon me is that none of us, including myself, is that far from being in a position to need a meal in the Dining Room. By putting together statistics I’ve learned in the grantwriting department, trips to Sacramento with Colleen (the amazing advocacy coordinator) to sit in on Senate hearings, and my experiences in the dining room I’ve come to a holistic understanding of just how easy it is to have the rug pulled out from under you, so to speak. Between the economic recession, budget cuts at the city and state level that target homeless and underprivileged populations, and insufficient healthcare, many people in San Francisco (and the country) are just one cavity, one fender bender, or one unplanned pregnancy away from homelessness.

Before I came to St. Anthonys I always had a vague assumption that I would never be in such a position, that people who worked hard would be able to stay solvent. However, I’ve come to see just how much (like rent, transportation, medical care, the ability to hold a job) can be out of our of personal control. This realization has allowed me to see that the guests at St. Anthonys are not necessarily unlike myself, and has brought me renewed appreciation for their cheerfulness and kindness throughout the past two months. Although I hope one day San Francisco will no longer need St. Anthonys, for now I am thankful for the wonderful work the foundation does and for the opportunity is has given me to learn.

Tags: budget cuts, dining room, economy, homelessness, internship program

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 4th, 2010 at 12:04 pm and is filed under Advocacy, People, Programs & Services. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.