…in asking for your support to build The New St. Anthony’s Dining Room.  Now is the time to join us in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. St. Anthony’s has stood firm as a safe place during turbulent times.  As we near our goal to begin construction in the summer of 2012, we turn to you, our faithful supporters, to stand firm with St. Anthony’s.

Our Dining Room has survived seven recessions, remained steadfastly on the right side of history during the civil rights era and the AIDS epidemic, and managed to stay open during the 1989 earthquake.  St. Francis, the namesake of our fair city, once said, “Start by doing what’s necessary, then do what’s possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible.”

Help us make what’s necessary possible and Be a Part of the Miracle.  Click here to find out ways you can help Hope Grow and make The New St. Anthony’s Dining Room a reality.

A standing ovation from  guests and volunteers marked the final meal served from St. Anthony’s original Dining Room last Wednesday, February 1^st.   The San Francisco community rose to the occasion to mark this historic event.  Guests shared stories of life-saving moments they had experienced within these walls.  Volunteers described relationships they had formed in the Dining Room that allowed them to rediscover their faith in making the world a better place.

Mayor Ed Lee recognized St. Anthony’s as a pillar of hope and compassion in San Francisco, and Larry Baer, the President of the Giants, punctuated the significance of the day by stating, “People say that 3^rd and King [home of the San Francisco Giants at AT & T Park] is the most important intersection in San Francisco. I’ve got to say Jones and Golden Gate is the most important intersection in the city of San Francisco.”

For nearly 62 years, the words of our Founder Fr. Alfred Boeddeker have graced people as they enter St. Anthony’s original Dining Room:  “I see God as one act:  Loving like the sun always shining.”  These words, no less important today as they were on October 4^th, 1950, shone through the smiles and tears of all of us who insure The Miracle on Jones Street continues.

SAMC patient navigator assists a patient with breast health information

The St. Anthony Medical Clinic Breast Health Program ensures access to potentially life-saving preventive and diagnostic services for uninsured, low-income and homeless women. Although only in its pilot year, by providing screening for so many women who lack other resources, we feel we have already been successful.

It is fundamental to our approach that each of our patients not only get the screenings they need, but that they also feel comfortable and experience a minimum of anxiety while going through the process. To this end we work to create a welcoming environment with multilingual patient navigators who help guide patients through the initial intake form, and by providing a nutritious breakfast for patients to enjoy while they wait.

Recently, Faten, one of our patient navigators and outreach coordinators, interviewed our patient Hakima about her experience having a mammogram at Avon last week.