Gymboree is in the business of children’s clothing, playtime, and music, but for the last two years they’ve been packing presents for adults, here at St. Anthony Foundation.

Gymboree employees are a lot of the reason we could give a gift bag to every person who came to St. Anthony Dining Room on Christmas Day. They donated the bags, colored hats, and chocolate bars, in addition to labels they had printed with “Happy Holidays.” They collected hundreds of travel size shampoos, bath gels, and lotions. Then they came in person to label and fill the bags with the ingredients they had brought, plus socks St. Anthony’s had been collecting for weeks.

The Gymboree values statement promotes making a difference, being creative, passionate, and authentic, and acting like a family.  “We care about one another,” they say. “We have a sincere respect for one another and we foster trust and camaraderie.  We like to have a good time and celebrate success.”

Twenty-two-hundred bags. Twenty-two-hundred very low-income people whose day was brightened by a special meal at St. Anthony’s and a present. Yes it was a useful present; practical. It was also colorful, warm, and unexpected. Like the sticker that said “Happy Holidays” and the chocolate bar in among the socks and bath gels.  It was a success to celebrate.

We tell groups who help us with Christmas projects that Christmas is the hardest day of the year for our guests. On other days, you’ll see a cheerfulness and sense of community you might not expect. But on Christmas, you just hope that whatever we can do sinks in by the day after and cheers people up.

This Christmas, it seemed to me our guests on the whole were in better spirits than I’d seen since I started here. More people wished me a merry Christmas or responded to my own “Merry Christmas” with a big smile; more people thanked me for one thing or another than I remember from previous years. Gymboree reminded us that that one day of kindness and thoughtfulness can make a difference; one gift on one day of the year. And don’t forget the chocolate.

And what a holiday donation drive it was. The Ramallah Club kicked off the giving spree on the first day with 96 turkeys.  Eighteen young people from The Joint Youth Ministry came all the way from San Jose with 26 bags of clothing which some of them spent their day sorting and bagging while others unloaded donations from people driving up to our doors with food and clothing for our guests.  We received a record 1163 turkies over the week before Thanksgiving and hundreds of deliveries of clothing and toiletries over Christmas week.

Our friends heard our cry for socks. More than 3,000 pairs, in every size, color, and pattern, with plenty of plain but very warm crew socks and work socks to fill Christmas gift bags for all the guests who came to the Dining Room. Gymboree donated hats, chocolate, bags, and labels that said “Happy Holidays” and put the bags together. The Palace Hotel came through with 2800 mineral washes for the bags and cartons of other useful gifts for St. Anthony residential programs. The Hilton and other hotels gave shampoo and lotion. And Jane and John Doe just kept giving and giving and giving.

Anything that didn’t go into a gift bag will be given to our guests for months to come, as the rains continue and the cold grows sharper. This is how the 5,000 get fed. And clothed and healed and living better, safer lives: when people of good will are not too afraid for themselves to open their hands and share what they can.

A Poet, A Newly Employed Grocery Store Worker, And Former Publicist All Spend Christmas At St. Anthony’s

SAN FRANCISCO, CA A poet, a newly employed grocery store worker, and a former publicist meet in a “soup kitchen”…It sounds like the beginning of a recession joke, but at St. Anthony’s Dining Room, San Francisco’s oldest and largest private congregate food program, this kind of amalgamation of life experiences isn’t uncommon. And why aren’t these people “home for the holidays”?

Scott, a published artist and poet, invited his 6 members of his family to join him volunteering on Christmas Day at St. Anthony’s to have a more meaningful holiday; Tim, who got the day off his new job as a grocery store worker, will be volunteering in the St. Anthony Dining Room to ‘give back’ for the help St. Anthony’s gave him with his sobriety; and Pam, the former publicist that is eating her Christmas meal in the Dining Room, is there because the SRO she now lives in doesn’t have a kitchen. This Christmas, all 3 of these very distinct personalities will share why they are NOT at home for the holidays, and why they are spending their Christmas in the Tenderloin at St. Anthony’s.

“This time last year I was in a really bad situation” noted volunteer and St. Anthony’s rehab program participant Tim Stewart. “This year I’m employed and volunteering on Christmas day to “give back”. And tomorrow I’ll be back at work!”

St. Anthony’s will serve an estimated 4,000 meals this Christmas, and will give out gifts of new socks, hats, toiletries, and chocolate bars to guests, thanks to donations and volunteer efforts of Gymboree, the Hilton, and the Palace Hotel.

St. Anthony Foundation’s programs help heal individuals and families with programs that provide a gateway out of poverty, including a Dining Room which serves 2600 meals every day, a free clothing program, a technology lab, residential drug and alcohol recovery program, and a free medical clinic. St. Anthony Foundation does not accept any federal, state, or local government money for its programs, and is entirely funded by private donations.

(Download high resolution images)

At St. Anthony Dining Room we are a buzz preparing a Christmas feast for 4,000 of our friends, family and community here in the Tenderloin.

And we could not have done it with out you. Your response to our call for food and socks means that every guest who comes on Christmas will get a delicious filling meal and a gift bag with socks and other necessities. The cans of food, peanut butter and tuna are filling our pantry shelves which will help fill the cupboards of seniors and families in need.

Your support makes a difference this holiday season, and in the year to come. When you make a gift to St. Anthony’s you make a change in someone’s life. Whether it provides food that day, groceries for that month, doctor visit for an uninsured child, or life-changing recovery and job training, you can know that your support is a gift that meets real needs.

Thank you for reaching together with St. Anthony Foundation to extend this season of hope to all.

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

Monday December 21 – Pasta Primavera

Pasta and vegetables served in a delicious white sauce

Tuesday December 27 – Gumbo Ya Ya

A Cajun dish made with chicken, pork, sausages and rice.

Wednesday December 23 – Chicken Mole

Delicious chunks of chicken simmered in a Oaxacan style sauce of chiles and spices.

Thursday, December 24 – Beef Bourguignon

Diced beef simmered with vegetables in a sauce made with red wine. (No Alcohol)

Friday December 25 -  Honey Glazed Ham

A special Christmas meal served with mashed potatoes, vegetables and dessert.

Saturday December 26 – Lentils With Turkey

Lentils simmered with Turkey and spinach

Sunday December 27 – Tuna Casserole

An American classic made with tuna, noodles and mushrooms topped with breadcrumbs then baked.

Check back for weekly installments of On The Menu!

Gymboree was here on Monday to fill 2200 bags with 2200 warm hats and 2200 chocolate bars they brought for our guests. They completed 1,000 bags with socks and travel shampoo donated by others, as well. The Palace Hotel has now donated 2700 bath gels to add to each bag.

WE STILL NEED 1200 NEW SOCKS, TRAVEL SHAMPOOS AND TRAVEL LOTIONS BEFORE DECEMBER 24.

Men’s crew socks or other warm socks are the best; women can wear them, too. (But new women’s and children’s socks won’t go to waste at St. Anthony’s.) Travel shampoo and lotion should be unopened.

If you’re thinking of doing a drive, if you’ve haven’t opened the shampoo or lotion you picked up on your last trip, if you’re shopping at a drug store or chain store for something else and can buy a few travel size shampoos or lotions or a package of new socks, please bring them over to 150 Golden Gate Avenue and tell the Front Desk Guy (Eric or Darren or Jerry) that they’re for gift bags.

Or you can wait until December 19 – 23 and bring them to Curbside, our special holiday donation drive. Just drive up to 119 Golden Gate (other side of the street from the offices). Volunteers will be waiting to take them in and give you a receipt.

Sign up to work Curbside, and you may end up filling bags yourself. Contact Alina: 415-592-2737 or atrowbridge@stanthonysf.org

I only wish you could be here to see how our guests react. Thank you in advance.

Last week, St. Anthony’s hosted it’s 2nd Annual Sock it to Poverty Party! Through the generous donations made by all of our partygoers, we managed to collect more than 150 pairs of socks that will soon be on the feet of many of our guests and clients. Congratulations goes to our own Jesse Aiton won the coveted Golden Sock Award for donating the most pairs!

Jesse was first introduced to St. Anthony’s through the Father Alfred Center after battling a lifetime of drug and alcohol addiction. While at the Father Alfred Center, he worked on his recovery and began building his future. Jesse was able to utilize the resources of the Technology Lab and worked on his resume, started job hunting, and practiced interview skills. He also decided to enroll in the Tech Lab’s A+ certification program which provides comprehensive training in desktop computer repair, maintenance and networking. Jesse has since graduated from the program and is working for a computer consulting firm downtown. He has been sober for more than 4 years. Now Jesse is one of our biggest cheerleaders and friend.

Many thanks to Jesse and everyone who supported St. Anthony’s last night and always. For those who didn’t have a chance to stop by the party, it’s not too late to donate socks to those in need! We are trying to collect 2200 pairs to include in Christmas gift bags to our wonderful guests. Stop by 150 Golden Gate and drop off your new socks!

Yes, the holidays at St. Anthony Foundation are a little different from holidays anywhere else.

We need 2200 travel size shampoos, bath gels, and lotions to make a gift bag for everyone who comes to the Dining Room on Christmas day. One of each will go into a bright gift bag with a pair of socks and a warm winter hat.

Our friends at Gymboree are donating the hats, bags, gift stickers, and their time to assemble the bags. Very soon. We’ve collected a lot of items, but there’s more to go.

If you’ve got unopened travel size toiletries, bring them to 150 Golden Gate and mention Gift Bags. You’ll brighten someone’s holiday.

There’s something about the holidays that switches people’s giving instincts from Cash to Carry. (Yes, people do have an instinct to give.)

They want to give objects more than money. Maybe it’s the idea of a giving a present rather than something that looks like payment. More likely, it’s because they’re already out shopping.

St. Anthony Foundation can always use objects. And during Thanksgiving and Christmas week, we make it easy for you to donate. Drive up to 119 Golden Gate (between Leavenworth and Jones) and pull over. Volunteers will unload your donations and give you a receipt.

VOLUNTEER: Unload donations from arriving cars. Sort items to get them to the right St. Anthony program and onward to our guests. Organize a donation drive at your school or worksite.

Company groups:  415-592-2737 or email atrowbridge@stanthonysf.org
Individuals, families:  415-592-2829

DONATE
Food
Turkeys, hams, and other large meats
25 lb. bags of rice, beans or flour
#10 cans of almost anything: beans, tomatoes, etc.
Family and individual size canned goods:
Tuna, canned meat, hearty soups, vegetables

Clothing
New socks
New underwear
Travel size toiletries: shampoo, bath gel, lotion
Blankets
Ready-to-use clothing, especially men’s, especially jeans

DON’T BRING
Housewares (even small ones)
Furniture (including baby furniture)
Baby car seats
Thank you and we’re sorry, but we can no longer accept these items.

DATES
Saturday, November 21 – Thanksgiving, November 26
Saturday, December 19 –Thursday, December 24
Weekdays 8:00 AM  – 6:00 PM
Weekends 9:00 – 3:00

Oh yeah. We take money, too.

At holiday time, we at St. Anthony Foundation discover friends we never knew we had.

San Francisco Federal Credit Union was the first to sign up for our Christmas Curbside Donation Drive. After patiently standing just out of the rain waiting for donors to bring used clothing and canned food, and sorting clothing, dishes, and appliances in the back, they loaded our truck, bound for the program that distributes these things for free.

Employees from Wells Fargo and PG&E, who had volunteered with their colleagues this Fall or helped out last Christmas, came back to unload food and clothing from cars as they arrived and sort donations to go to four of our programs. The San Francisco Coalition for Responsible Growth covered half a dozen shifts, and when they caught up with the flow, marched off to the Clothing and Housewares Program to move mountains of clothing and free up work space.

It really helps St. Anthony’s when people volunteer or donate as a team. People who work together, share a religion, or socialize through an organized group, are more likely to talk about us to their friends and colleagues who couldn’t make it to a donation drive or volunteer event. Maybe that’s where all these new friends come from: old friends who spread the word.