Students from Mercy High School, an all-girls college-preparatory school in San Francisco, just brought a van full of donations from their most recent clothing drive.
The clothing they collected will go to help poor and homeless families and individuals at St. Anthony’s Free Clothing Program.
Thanks, ladies! You are awesome!
We heard through Filipinas Magazine that YFPA hosted a sock drive benefiting St. Anthony Foundation of San Francisco. Thank you!
Students from Archbishop Riordan High School in San Francisco were here yesterday to volunteer at St. Anthony Dining Room and the Free Clothing Program. Not only did they do a fantastic job serving meals, busing tables and sorting through donated clothes but they also brought in canned food items for clients at the Social Work Center and their own gently used clothes for the Free Clothing Program. Thank you for your service and your support, guys!
Solo piano in a the cavernous quiet of Grace Cathedral. Jazz, blues, stride piano, and a little space music besides. Canned food and compact disc sales go to St. Anthony Foundation.
George Winston plays the greats this Friday, May 7 at 8:00 PM at Grace Cathedral (1100 California Street @ Taylor). His current project is interpreting the work of Professor Longhair, the Doors, Frank Zappa, Randy Newman, Sam Cooke, Curtis Mayfield, Laura Nyro, Al Kooper, Dr. John, James Booker, and Vince Guaraldi (who recorded his jazz mass at Grace Cathedral 45 years ago). If you’re lucky, you might even get a little harmonica and slack key guitar.
The concert is $36. All seats are good seats. Remember to bring the tuna, peanut butter, and canned vegies. And buy a CD.
Karma is defined by some as the beneficial effects that are derived from past beneficial actions. In the case of donating clothes, its the best of all worlds, because you get to enjoy your clothing for a period of time, and then pass it on to be of benefit for someone else in their future. And maybe yours, karmaticaly speaking. Its sort of “what goes around comes around” in real time.
Jay just increased his karma and our desperately needed clothing supply through his annual potluck clothing swap, at Mission Yoga. After the swap he brought five carts of clothes to the St. Anthony Free Clothing Program to be given, for free, for people who really need it. Thanks and Namaste!
Everyone thinks they know George Winston. He’s a New Age space music guy, right?
That doesn’t begin to tell the tale.
George Winston is a wicked southern music pianist. From Montana. He’s a formidable jazz pianist who has played with some of the jazz greats. He’s recorded all of Vince Guaraldi. His are the invisible fingers behind The Velveteen Rabbit, and Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes. He plays stride piano, slack key guitar, and harmonica.
His concert on Friday, May 7 at Grace Cathedral will benefit St. Anthony Foundation. Our food pantry gets whatever canned goods people bring and our programs get some of the proceeds of CD sales. You can buy a CD at the concert recorded to benefit victims of Hurricane Katrina or 9/11 and benefit St. Anthony’s in the same stroke.
Recordings cannot communicate some of the ways he innovates with the keyboard. George Winston doesn’t need a Prepared Piano. He prepares it.
Who is George Winston, really? Come find out at Grace Cathedral, Friday, May 7.
A few months ago the folks at iProspect came through to St. Anthony Dining Room to volunteer as a corporate team. They were so moved by the work we do that they offered their support in the relaunch of St. Anthony Foundation’s website.
When they heard about the shortage of clothing at St. Anthony’s Free Clothing Program they were quick to start up a drive of their own, collecting 10 bags within two weeks!
“Our employees at Aegis Media and iProspect find St. Anthony’s to be an incredibly worthy cause. It is so rewarding to be able to directly impact the local residents of San Francisco through clothing drives, volunteering at the dining room, and utilizing our specialized skills to increase awareness.” said Shannon McCarty, Client Services Manager of iProspect.
Encourage your co-workers to clean out their closets this month for St. Anthony’s.
Stone & Youngberg is one of the oldest private financial institutions in the country, started right here in San Francisco. They’ve been in the city even longer than St. Anthony’s: 1931. They helped St. Anthony’s build our new facility at 150 Golden Gate.
Stone & Youngberg also supports their employees in volunteering with organizations and government agencies to make communities stronger. Earlier this month, 50 Stone & Youngberg employees converged at St. Anthony’s from San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Big Bear Lake, New York, Chicago, Phoenix, Albany, Annapolis, and Richmond, VA to help us out with just about everything AND the kitchen sink.
Some went to the Social Work Center where they researched and created recipes for clients utilizing the contents of the pantry. These recipes will be available for clients to take home with them to create healthy and balanced meals.
Some worked in the Tenderloin Tech Lab, providing one-on-one tutoring, tailoring their help to each individual. The room was abuzz with questions and conversation.
St. Anthony Free Medical Clinic is working on a huge database project that a group of Stone & Youngberg employees pushed several more steps toward completion.
They organized our green library to make it more user friendly. They volunteered in the clothing program sorting and hanging donations. And as if that were not enough, the company did a clothing drive and brought with them a very large donation.
They even volunteered to help us celebrate volunteers. St. Anthony’s Volunteer Appreciation Event was on the way, and Stone & Youngberg employees put together volunteer gifts, made centerpieces, and strung lighting for a Roaring 20’s party in honor of 200 regulars who keep the Dining Room and other programs running.
In short, the folks from Stone & Youngberg just kept throwing things into the pot. The result was the rich stone soup that is the St. Anthony’s community. And one industrious volunteer day.
Thanks to everyone who has responded to our call for clothing donations. As you can see from the picture, we have donations in the “pit” thanks to your generosity and your response.
We serve an average of 600 men, women, and children every week in the Free Clothing Program. That pile in the pit will go quickly serving that many guests. Please continue to help our guests by asking your friends, neighbors and coworkers: “Have you done your spring cleaning yet? Please take your old clean, gently used clothing to St. Anthony’s. They give everything away to the poor.”
Thanks for all the help you’ve given to us and our guests.
Times are hard and you have your own worries. But you know that things aren’t any easier for the people who come to St. Anthony Foundation for help.
We have some easy ways you can keep giving, or even give more, to buy food, clothing, and healthcare for your low-income neighbors. Here’s Easy Giving Number 4.
Do a Drive.
Organize your family, friends, social group, professional association, church or congregation to collect something the guests at St. Anthony’s need.
1. Do a clothing drive. St. Anthony’s clothing supply has run pretty low. We’re putting out the call for more clothes: washed, repaired, and ready to wear.
Bring them to the Free Clothing Program @ 101 8th Street and Mission.
See Ty Hilkert’s blog last week for a list of what we need and what we can’t take. (Or call at 415-592-2826 or email thilkert@stanthonysf.org.)
2. Do a sock drive. We’ve talked about a sock party in your home. Your guests bring $5 and a pair of socks for our guests. Try a sock drive without the party. There is no time of year we do not need them. There is no St. Anthony’s program that does not use them. We can provide boxes or bins or simply send signs for you to make your own collection bin.
3. Do a toiletries drive. New, unopened, any size:
Bring them to our offices @ 150 Golden Gate or to the Free Clothing Program @ 101 8th Street and Mission.
4. Assemble self-care bags. New, unopened, travel size only.
Put the bags in a shopping bag or box addressed to “Social Work Center.”
Bring them to 150 Golden Gate, between Jones and Leavenworth.
If people like you take simple steps like this, we really will get through the hard times together.
