You have heard of our boundless hope here at St. Anthony’s. This hope is real—so real that we’ve moved our original Dining Room to an interim location, and we’re preparing to tear down the old building to make way for a new one. It’s all about hope. Many generous donors have already stepped up and supported this $22 million effort, yet we still have about $4.5 million to raise.

We are now turning to our regular donors and the general public to finish off this campaign. We need you to join us now and be part of the miracle–one that that began with Fr. Alfred Boeddeker in 1950. Today, we face the challenge of keeping that miracle alive by building a new St. Anthony’s for the next 60 years. Construction starts this summer, so there’s no putting things off. If you support our work with a regular gift to St. Anthony’s, please consider making an additional gift for this once-in-a-lifetime project.

The Giants and famed pitcher Barry Zito have stepped up to the plate to help build the new St. Anthony’s Dining Room. In addition to two generous gifts, the Giants will feature St. Anthony’s in a Home Plate Ceremony at AT&T park on April 27th.  Larry Baer, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Giants, kicked off the public phase of our campaign by proclaiming that “Jones and Golden Gate is the most important intersection in the city.”

Barry Zito will also reach out to San Franciscans via radio asking for help to make the new Dining Room possible. As we enter the home stretch of our campaign, we’re proud to have the 2010 World Series champions at bat for us.  Join St. Anthony’s and the Giants in striking out hunger.

Click HERE to donate.

St. Anthony’s Dining Room opened its doors Saturday, February 25th to bid farewell to our original building. Guests, staff, volunteers and friends helped us paint the walls with memories, play music, dance, write notes for our time capsule, and even do a little minor demolition to take a small piece of the Dining Room home.

A heartfelt thanks to everyone who joined us to leave their imprint on a space that has served over 38 million meals and changed countless lives.  Click HERE to view photos from this special day.

Moving is always a challenge.  Throw in 62 years in one place, 3,000 guests, 10,000 volunteers, and steam kettles from a World War II naval ship and you’ve got a move that will make history.

Thanks to tireless efforts from our community, we rolled up our sleeves and made it happen.  While we’ve got a little less elbow room in our building at 150 Golden Gate Avenue, we’re thrilled by the prospect of seeing our new Dining Room begin to take shape.  After all, we know from experience that miracles are possible and the best things are worth the wait.

Arcadis employee, and regular St. Anthony volunteer, Ron Goloubow saw a need at St. Anthony’s for volunteers and organized a group of colleagues from Arcadis to come and help out this past Sunday.  They were a wonderful group of volunteers who inspired us, not only  with their response to the needs of our community, but also their ability to connect with our guests and clients.  We hope to see you again!

Arcadis is an international company that provides consultancy, design, engineering and management services in the fields of Infrastructure, Water, Environment and Buildings.

…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.

We’re gearing up for the final day we’ll serve meals in our beloved Dining Room at 45 Jones on February 1st. While we pause to reflect on the profound impact this space has had on San Francisco, we’re poised and ready to make sure we don’t miss a beat. We’ll serve to-go meals for our guests on February 2nd and 3rd while we move the miracle across the street into our temporary Dining Room. Why are we undertaking such a big project in an uncertain time like this one? For the same reason we do our work every day: our guests. San Franciscans have shown us for 61 years and counting that everyone deserves a place that feels like home. We’ll continue in this tradition without missing a meal as we honor the past and build for the future.

Be a Part of the Miracle as we unveil plans for The New St. Anthony’s Dining Room: For more information on our move and upcoming ground-breaking for our new Dining Room, tune into our press conference at 12 noon on February 1st with Mayor Ed Lee and President of the San Francisco Giants Larry Baer. If you miss it, you can always find the latest news by clicking on our Facebook page, Blog, or Twitter feed.