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.

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!

The recent few days have seen record-breaking cold temps in the Bay Area. To top it off, cold/freezing rain is expected through the weekend. There’s seems to be a new “reflex” added to comments about how cold it is: “…but I’m blessed to have a roof over my head: how are those that don’t surviving in this weather?!” For an unfortunately growing number of years, the memorial service held in front of City Hall for homeless folks* who’ve died is devastating evidence that many don’t survive the street, (hypothermia & pneumonia are among the consequences of exposure).

“Empathy”—that buzz word that seems to have gotten an undeserved bad rap of late, is thank goodness, much in evidence as well, and is warming hearts at least, in these chilling times. Much of this empathy is revealing itself in the conversations that I’m having with our regular and our Holiday volunteers. Compassion and understanding are qualities expressed by our volunteers all along, but the “accent” on today’s economic challenges and conditions is coming through loud and clear. It’s humbling and encouraging to be in the healing mix of those who continue to “show up”, regardless of weather extremes and societal crises, aware but undaunted, and – in good spirits to boot!!! What’s more, no one can walk farther than yard or two in the “TL” these days without seeing one local “Santa” after the next, with that tell-tale red hat donning the heads of so many of our neighbors! Good spirits, indeed!

I’d like to close my Dec blog with a quote that I came across recently:

To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness… And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory. Howard Zinn, Activist, teacher, & author of “A People’s History of the United States (1980).”

I chased down the etymology of the word “volunteer” today, and it’s root and branches have everything to do with freely willing (to serve). I’d say there’s no doubt that volunteers “make history” everyday with their free and willing service of “compassion, sacrifice, courage, and kindness…” And, as for those informal community moments—anytime, anyone “volunteers” a sign of hope—even when that is a “signature December hat”… my hat’s off to you!

Healing Holidays and a hope-filled New Year to one and all!

* This year’s Memorial Service for those that have died on the street will be once again on Winter Solstice, December 21st, Civic Center at 5:30pm. It’s organized by NetWork Ministries and the Coalition on Homelessness. Bring a candle and your caring heart.

Yesterday the Tech Lab celebrated its 2nd Christmas party by serving a fantastic meal consisting of ham, turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans, and a superb broccoli cassesrole. Thanks to the generosity of the staff at the Dining Room as well as the hard work of our Tech Lab all-star, Salena Bailey, everyone left with a full stomach.

The event was less a celebration than it was an opportunity for folks to relax, mingle with the staff and volunteers, and just rewind from the hectic holidays. It is easy sometimes to forget about your neighbor sitting at the computer next to you when you have a lot to do on your limited time at the computer. Being able to share a meal has been a life-giving, community building activity that the St. Anthony Foundation has been built on. The Tech Lab took a page from the book of the Dining Room and used a warm meal to celebrate and appreciate what each person offers.

After the meal our front desk program assistant, James led the crowd in some holidays songs. At his side was his friend and fellow musician Joy who humbled the crowd with a performance like no other. Without prompting our guests joined her in performance. The Christmas spirit was certainly present at 150 Golden Gate yesterday.

At that point raffle tickets were handed out for guests and volunteers to get a shot at winning some prizes. Some of the highlights included flashdrives, gift cards, and a TinkerBell notebook! With Walter on the piano and a talented MC the party ended with a bang. Yet another successful gathering of individuals celebrating not technology but the relationships that are everlasting.

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!

I received this the other day from one of our Thanksgiving volunteers:

“As a single U.C. retiree, without family, in planning how I would spend my Thanksgiving today, I had three options:

(1) I could hole up in my apartment, watch television all day, eating left-overs, and feeling very, very sorry for myself; or,

(2) I could have a 7-course dinner at inflated prices in some hotel
dining room, turned off by such an over- abundance of food with so much hunger in the Bay Area; or,

(3) I could take Bart over to San Francisco and head for St. Anthony’s Dining Room, helping serve hundreds of homeless, jobless people, who are so thankful for this generous holiday dinner served in a warm, caring and happy atmosphere, where they’re made to feel like a welcome guest.

I’ve been a volunteer at St. Anthony’s Dining Room for several years and feel richly rewarded for my slight contribution to their wonderful program.”

We give thanks for our amazing volunteers!

If there one thing that St. Anthony’s serves up 365 days a year, it is the connection between food and community. In the St. Anthony Dining Room, people rely on the social connection almost as much as they do a hot, healthy, filling meal. Almost.

Today we celebrate a little known tradition at St. Anthony’s: The staff holiday meal. This year, as the last few years, the meal is being hosted and prepared by Tom Saber, our neighbor at Al Sabeel Masjid Noor al-Islam mosque.

Tom says it is not a thank you for loaning him our kitchen during Ramadan, when our Muslim brothers and sisters fast in order to be reminded of all of of our hungry neighbors, but a gift of thanks for the work that is done here 365 days a year serving the hungry in the neighborhood we share: The Tenderloin. All we can do is say thank you, and bless you Tom and our wonderful community.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA The sound of revving engines will be a call to start carving turkeys on Wednesday, November 25th, 2009 when the Hells Angels come to St. Anthony Dining Room to help out for one of St. Anthony’s biggest days of the year. And on Thanksgiving Thursday the historic nonprofit will serve more than 3,500 turkey dinners to the poor and homeless; even Craigslist founder Craig Newmark is stopping by to lend a hand.

“With the economy in the state it has been the last 2 years, we anticipate many more people will be spending Thanksgiving at St. Anthony’s,” noted St. Anthony’s Interim Executive Director Linda Pasquinucci. “We are very thankful that more volunteers and donors are coming through the doors as well, because we have never needed them more.”

In conjunction, St. Anthony’s 22nd annual curbside donation drive is kicking off on Saturday November 21st at 9am, where clean, cared-for warm clothing, canned or dried bulk foods, and monetary donations can be dropped off to St. Anthony’s “donation valets”. As more and more people turn to the 59-year old non-profit for basic necessities as a result of the current economic crisis, the support from everyday citizens is needed.

For 59 years St. Anthony Foundation has provided free, life sustaining support for the poor and homeless. St. Anthony Foundation’s programs help heal individuals and families by providing a gateway to solutions to poverty, including a Dining Room which serves 2,600 meals every day, an Employment Program/ Technology Lab, Drug and Alcohol Recovery Program, and a Free Medical Clinic. St. Anthony Foundation does not accept any federal, state, or local government money, and is entirely funded by private donations.

AS UNEMPLOYMENT SOARS, MORE GO HUNGRY
ST. ANTHONY’S HOSTS 22ND ANNUAL CURBSIDE DRIVE TO HELP MEET THE NEED FOR SAN FRANCISCO

With the unemployment rate at its highest rate since 1983, organizations like St. Anthony’s have become critical in helping everyday people meeting their needs of basics such as food, warm clothing, and medical care.

To help meet the need, St. Anthony’s is preparing for its 22nd anniversary of St. Anthony’s Curbside Holiday Drive. St. Anthony Foundation staff and volunteers, wearing easily identifiable red jackets, will take delivery of food, clothing, and monetary donations at curbside, so donors won’t even have to leave their cars. Donated items are distributed free of charge to San Francisco’s most needy residents.

“We have 35% more people coming for emergency boxes and 60% more people coming to our clothing program than we did a year ago. And we continue to be amazed and heartened by the generosity of those with even a little extra stepping up to help meet the need,” noted St. Anthony Foundation Executive Director Linda Pasquinucci.

St. Anthony Foundation’s programs help heal individuals and families by providing a gateway for solutions to 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. (more…)