Yesterday I spotted this “Instant Hobo” Halloween costume on display at a dollar store in The Mission. I doubt I’m the only one who can spot the painful irony of this derogatorily named costume, given the economic hardships our country has faced this year.
More homelessness for Halloween? Now that’s really scary!
A Haunted Halloween Post on the California Budget
Almost everything about this year’s California budget process was scary: from the Governor’s Proposed budget in January to his revised budget proposal in May to the line item vetoes included once the budget was finally signed 100 days late.
A Haunted Proposal
This year’s budget process was scary. From the Governor’s proposed budget in January, through the May Revise, until the time the 100- days-late budget was signed, low-income seniors, people with disabilities, immigrants, and families looking for work and in need of cash assistance have been afraid. Why? Because the programs that help them with health care, food, and a basic standard of living were all on the chopping block this year.
More people are “haunted” because more need help
California’s budget cuts come at a time of unprecedented misery. In the midst of the “Great Recession”, more and more people are in need of help at the same time that the programs that help them are on the chopping block.
According to our friends at California Budget Project, from 2007-09, California saw:
Ongoing fear
When we talk about being haunted, we don’t talk about a one-time scare. Someone who feels haunted has a persistent, recurring fear. Cuts to medical care, in home support services, food programs, medicine, and other forms of relief are not new. Struggling Californians are haunted by budget decisions of the past at the same time that they’re afraid for the present and future.
These are issues that affect all of us.
Who are the people who we see in St. Anthony’s food lines, social work center, drug and alcohol rehab, our computer and employment skills training center, and clothing program? The exact same people who are haunted by the cuts listed above: seniors, people with disabilities, struggling families, people trying to overcome addiction, and people looking for work in a tough job market.
Coming home
Where do you want to be when you’re scared? When you’re afraid for your future? For many people, the only place that can feel safe during scary times is home. For those who don’t have stable homes, they come to St. Anthony’s: we are their home. Maybe it’s fitting that the word “haunt” comes from the Old Norse word heimta, meaning “to bring home”.
Something different is being created in the St. Anthony kettles! We are well on our way to collecting 2,500 hand knit scarves to give away on Christmas Day to our guests in the Dining Room. Pictured are some beautiful samples received from crafty philanthropists from all over the United States who with each and every scarf knitted are sending our guests care and letting them know that people everywhere care. We have received just over 1,000 to date so keep them coming! We need each and every one!
St. Anthony Free Medical Clinic is proud to announce the launch of new patient Walking Groups! Regular exercise is an important part of healthy living for everyone, so all of our patients are invited to participate in these weekly staff-led treks. Each walking route has been mapped out on pedometers so patients can see exactly how many steps they take during an excursion. Walking Groups incorporate health education with social exercise to teach patients about wellness and nutrition while showing them ways to attain their fitness goals in their own neighborhood – and have fun doing it! St. Anthony Free Medical Clinic is excited to offer this exercise program to our community, in particular our diabetic patients. Special thanks to Sports Basement for their support in helping us promote health in the Tenderloin!
What’s cooking this week at St. Anthony Dining Room!
Monday, October 25th – Biscuits and Country Gravy
Ground pork sausage and white gravy
Tuesday, October 26th – Chef’s Choice
St. Anthony’s Dining Room turns Iron Chef as we churn out dishes made from seasonal ingredients.
Wednesday, October 27th – Arroz con Pollo
Chicken and rice flavored with saffron
Thursday, October 28th – Black Bean Tostada
Beans, cheese, rice, and salsa with a flour tortilla
Friday, October 29th – Carolina Chicken
Cream sauce with ham and corn
Saturday, October 30th – Tuna Salad
Dressed in mayonnaise with vegetables and served with lettuce
Sunday, October 31st –Chef’s Choice
St. Anthony’s Dining Room turns Iron Chef as we churn out dishes made from seasonal ingredients.
Check back for weekly installments of On The Menu!
Would you cut dinner to pay for lunch? It doesn’t make much sense, does it? Unfortunately, our legislators in Washington D.C. are entertaining this choice right now: they’re thinking about paying for Child Nutrition Reauthorization (CNR) by cutting the SNAP (food stamps) program! This would be the first time in the history of the program that Food Stamp benefits would be reduced. Should the bill that includes CNR pass in its current form, a family of four can expect their benefits to drop about $59 a month starting in October 2013.
CNR affects nutrition programs for children: the National School Lunch Program, the School Breakfast Program, the Summer Food Service Program, and the Afterschool Snack and Meal Program, among others. On a typical day during the 2008-09 school year, 31.3 million children in more than 99,000 schools and residential child care institutions participated in the school lunch program.
SNAP/Food Stamps provides monthly benefits that can be used to purchase food at grocery stores and farmers’ markets. 41.8 million people nation-wide participated in the Food Stamp program in July of 2010.
Do you think it’s a good idea to cut food stamps (dinner) to pay for CNR (school lunch)? To make your voice heard, visit the website of our friends at FRAC (Food Research and Action Center), where you can send an email to the White House.
Today we reached 1,000 scarves today with the arrival of scarves sent by First Presbyterian Church of Burlingame, CA. Thank you, Lynn, and the hundreds of others who have gotten us this far already!
We’re almost half way there to reaching 2,500 hand knitted or crochet scarves to give away to our poor and homeless guests at St. Anthony Dining Room on Christmas Day.
If you’re interested in scarving up a some warmth for your homeless neighbors during the cold San Francisco months, or know someone else who might want to put their crafty skills to altruistic use, please click here!
We just received 68 beautiful new coats from the Alaska Railroad. They couldn’t distribute them locally because of the risk that someone might be mistaken for a railroad employee. They found St. Anthony’s on the One Warm Coat website and paid to ship them to us. Thanks, Alaska Railroad!
October marked the start of our celebration of 60 years of service to San Francisco. In a recent mailing we invited people to send in birthday cards to St. Anthony’s and to share their stories. Keep ‘em coming and be sure to check back once a week to read more St. Anthony’s stories.
“Seversal years ago I working in the Dining Room. Best job was bussing tables where I could meet so many of the guests and enjoy the repartee with the men in the scullery. A broken hip and ill health forced me to retire and I still miss those great mondays on Jones St. Happy Birthday and God Bless” — Mrs C Hutchason, San Francisco
“I worked at Hibernia bank in the mid 1950s. I remember the line at that time waiting for their meal. Not long ago I was at Jones St and Golden Gate and it was lunch time. I was moved by the number of needy men and women to whom St. Anthony’s is still providing food. May God bless and provide for St. Anthony Foundation always.” – David C. Silva, Burlingame
“As old San Franciscans, we remember your total love, acceptance and respect of everyone. No questions asked. Thank you.” – The Gesek Family, Dublin
St. Anthony’s has received 879 scarves so far! We have received many scarves from local knitters and crocheters but we also found caring crafters in Vermont, Massachusetts, Colorado, New York, Louisiana, North Carolina, Texas, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Connecticut. Outside of the U.S. we have knitters in Brazil and Japan.
So keep them coming! We are at 35% of our goal with 2 months to go!
Those who will receive our scarves as gifts will know that there are people in the world who care for others and that love not ignorance triumphs.