I’ve always thought it peculiar how the simplest item can take on meaning beyond its practical use. A diamond ring can represent decades of commitment or a worn stuffed teddy bear can remind one of those precious years of adolescence. But this story revolves around a simple white pair of sneakers, and what they meant to a woman by the name of Mary Helen Douglas.

Mary hails from the town of Petaluma, a land known for its picturesque river, quaint architecture, butter and eggs parade, and famed World’s Ugliest Dog competition. Her parents suffered from addictive illness for the majority of their lives, and thus growing up Mary lacked supervision and support that a parental figure provides for a child. She would often have to find her own food, cook her own meals, and find her way around the town. So at the fledgling age of nineteen, Mary left for San Francisco. There she found a man who supported her, and she had high hopes for a future filled with change and prosperity. Although as she would discover, her plan would not become a reality.

Unable to find work, her bank account eventually dwindled into the red. Along with her husband, she eventually ended up on the streets, living periodically in and out of shelters. At the time they both found escape and numbed themselves through the use of drugs and alcohol. They went on like this for some time. Then, in the winter of 2005, all she loved slipped away from her. In a single week, her husband passed away from heart failure and all of her belongings were stolen at a shelter she was residing at for the week. In addition to all this, she was utterly broke, not even possessing a pair of shoes on her feet to warm her in the customary San Francisco misty cold.

Mary continued to find escape through substances, to numb the gaping holes in her life. She recalled that one night, the drugs had a terrible suicidal effect on her. During a bad trip, she had attempted to throw herself off of a seven story balcony. The sole reason she survived was through a friend’s intervention, yanking her back as she scrambled to throw herself over the side of the railing. This scared her beyond words, for not once had she ever even possessed a suicidal thought. She realized the drugs were changing her, morphing her into a stranger even to herself. She was taken to a doctor, and as he peered at her test results with dismal scrutiny, Mary was convinced of one fact: she would not be alive much longer living like this.

Observing Mary’s current predicament, a friend had told her of a program that could help: St. Anthony’s Free Clothing Program. She was skeptical having been to other assistance programs before, but decided to go anyways, her cold bare feet driving her to walk faster to Mission and 8th. When she entered the Free Clothing Program’s building, she was greeted by a man named Marcellus. His first question was a simple one, “What is your name?” She had participated in many other programs before and gone through information gathering processes almost identical to this one. Although this time she said it was different. Marcellus had locked his gaze with hers, and when he asked what her name was she felt as though he really cared. She was not just another number or random recipient of free goods. She said that even to this day he has never failed to greet her by her name. She was given all the clothing she needed: shirts, sweaters, pants, and socks. But the article of clothing that struck her the most was the pair of sneakers. When she fastened the laces, for the first time in a very long while, she felt her frigid toes started to relax. Walking no longer was a painful task, and strolling down the sidewalk in the shade of the high rises she was humbled by the comfort she had not felt in such a long while. She felt as though something about the program was changing her, if only just a bit. This measly pair of shoes gave her faith that all was not really lost, and for the first time in a very long time, she had hope.

While waiting outside of the Free Clothing Program building one day, a man approached some of the ladies waiting alongside her. He was acting outlandishly, yelling gibberish at some of the women without a discernable cause. She knew that the man was under the influence of drugs. And all of a sudden she saw her future–the drugs and the crazy behaviour that would ensue. This was not the future she wanted at all, and in that moment she found her strength again. She approached the man and in a way that only Mary Helen Douglas could, lectured him, calmed him down, and he eventually apologized to all the women.

Right then she knew that she had to change; that her life was not lost. She was referred to a couple rehabilitation centers by the staff and her road to recovery began. Looking back, those sneakers, given to warm her feet on those chilly nights, incited a change that would end up saving Mary’s life. So perhaps the next time you peer down at your feet, you can remember Mary and how something as simple as an old pair of shoes can mean salvation for another.

Tyler Merkel is a Communications & Outreach intern at St. Anthony Foundation

St. Anthony Foundation, our Board of Trustees and our Board of Directors are pleased to announce the appointment of Barry J. Stenger as our Executive Director. In St. Anthony’s 63 year history of serving the poor and low income of San Francisco, Barry is the seventh person to lead the organization.

Barry has over twenty years of nonprofit management experience. He has been St. Anthony’s Director of Development for the past eight years. He holds a Ph.D. in social ethics from the University of Chicago, taught at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley and Santa Clara University, and has contributed to the work of the Franciscans on the west coast in a variety of capacities.

When asked what he’s excited about in assuming these responsibilities, Barry said that he believes “St . Anthony’s is poised to enter a new and dynamic phase of its service to the community: we’re building a new Dining Room; we’re reaching out to new generations of San Franciscans who want to be involved in our work; and we’re focusing on new metrics to measure the life-changing outcomes for the guests we serve.”

When I first passed through the doors of St. Boniface, I was awestruck with beauty. In every possible direction were ornate stained glass windows, towering marble columns, and sacred relics. All of this illuminated by hundreds of meticulously arranged candles. Yet these weren’t the captivating sights which left me utterly speechless. Honestly, these adornments paled in comparison to one sight which possessed a simple but staggering beauty: the congregate of the homeless peacefully slumbering in the pews.

From 6 a.m to 1 in the afternoon, those who enter the Tenderloin may find refuge in St. Boniface during the daytime hours. Here in these 76 aged wooden pews, those who face the perils of homelessness may finally experience hours of undisturbed sleep. The plain fact is the houseless are often denied rest on a regular basis. This is partly due to the city’s recent ban forbidding individuals to sleep or lay in public walkways, along with many shelters shutting their doors in the daytime.

The Gubbio Project, which started up in the Spring of 2004, seeks to provide the necessity of sleep to those in need. In addition to providing shelter, they distribute blankets, serve food on special days, and offer use of clean restrooms.

Laura Slattery, executive director of the project, spoke with me about our homeless neighbors and the project’s simple mission to care for them. The Gubbio Project’s mission is quite simple,  to do away with one more challenge which the homelss must face- and to bring them peaceful rest in this chaotic world.

Many have wondered why these people have coped with their trauma through substance abuse or apparent self-destructive behaviour. Although Laura Slattery would say you must alter your line of thought and realize this, “We should forget about questioning why the homeless have dealt with life in this way, but rather realize after all they have gone through and seen- what a true miracle it is that they are still here”.

In my wanderings around the church, I visited with a woman by the name of Ivy, a self-proclaimed regular. She lamented on how utterly worn she was from tumultuous events in her life as of late. With every step forward to a better life, the loss of a potential job, depression and struggles with addiction took her back to the starting point. As our conversation was approaching it’s end, she cast a smile upward to the magnificently painted ceiling, and in one perfect moment made all the work of the Gubbio Project worth it, “Despite everything, this is the one place I really have peace”.

Tyler Merkel is a Communications & Digital Media intern at St. Anthony’s

Believe it or not, there are women in our own community who do not have access to feminine hygiene products.

Take a moment. Consider what your life would be like without hygiene products?  Unimaginable, right? Poverty has turned what should be considered as a right for women—access to feminine hygiene products—into a privilege available only to those who can afford it.

Luckily, with your help, we can change that. Now is the time to help our fellow women who don’t have access to critical hygiene items and give to the St. Anthony’s Feminine Hygiene Drive.

When:

Drop off your donation on March 8^th , International Women’s Day, anytime from 3:00-5:00 and meet the other members of this generous community.

What: sanitary napkins and tampons

Where: Can’t make the March 8th drop off? Deliver or mail any time to St. Anthony Foundation, Attn: St. Anthony Women, 150 Golden Gate Ave., San Francisco CA 94102

How: Next time you are buying for yourself, pick up a package for a woman who doesn’t have them.  Get together with your friends, classmates, co-workers. Join the conversation on Twitter (#TsanitaryTsunami) or share the message on Facebook and let’s take care of business.

At St. Anthony’s, the Social Work Center partners with Bay Area organizations such as Seasons of Sharing and Catholic Charities to provide back-rent and security deposit assistance to clients. At the Social Work Center, we screen clients to see if they might qualify for rental assistance requirements of the funding sources. If Clients qualify to apply, they complete the funding organization’s rental assistance application with a St. Anthony’s Social Worker during an appointment. As you can see in the infograph, there are a variety of reasons that clients need rental assistance and what type of rental assistance they are seeking.