Philanthropy on Foot.  Give socks today!

For those on the street, feet matter. Here’s something you can do to show you care.

When you donate new socks to St. Anthony’s, you can help make life healthier and pain-free for homeless and low income folks in San Francisco.

Access to shoes and socks is often limited for homeless men and women living in shelters and on the street.

Blisters and infections are common conditions that can lead to more severe health issues.  Wet feet,  ill-fitting shoes, constant standing and diseases like diabetes take their toll.

The best way to prevent such conditions is to keep feet clean and dry—very difficult if you spend your days outside.

Here’s how you can help:

GET IT

We need 5,000 pairs of socks this year.
We’re asking all of San Francisco to get new socks to those who need them most.

Short on time? DONATE HERE and we’ll buy the socks.

Donate men’s socks, especially white athletic or outdoor socks. Socks need to be new.
Get a team together or you can donate individually.

SHARE IT

On our Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest

Share a sock story, a photo, or ask the Sock Diva a question on our Socks in the City Tumblr.

Take photos and video along the way and send them via email or Facebook as an invitation to friends, family, and coworkers to participate in the drive.

PLAY IT

Host a sock party
Have a competition
Sock bomb a colleague’s office
Organize a “sock mob”

BRING IT

Socks may be mailed or dropped off to:

Sock Diva @ St. Anthony Foundation
150 Golden Gate Avenue
San Francisco CA 94102
8:30-4:30 Mon. – Fri.

For questions, large donations, or to arrange to have a donation barrel delivered, e-mail us.

St. Anthony’s staff and volunteers joined hundreds of supporters at MoMo’s Restaurant on Monday, June 11th to toss pennies for the 35th annual Penny Pitch to benefit St. Anthony’s Dining Room. This year, the Penny Pitch broke a 35 year fundraising record, raising over $72,000! Proceeds from this event will translate into over 144,000 meals for hungry and homeless San Franciscans.

Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White, Police Chief Greg Suhr, and President of the Giants Larry Baer tossed out the ceremonial first pitch. KNBR radio hosts Murph and Mac, along with Bay Area comedian Bob Sarlatte, kept the crowd energized as the competition unfolded.

Shari Roeseler, St. Anthony’s Executive Director remarked, “For 62 years, the business community has stepped up to the plate for St. Anthony’s. For over half of those years, leaders in the community have organized the Penny Pitch to throw change and change lives. We couldn’t do the work we do without the steady support of people like Pete and Janet Osborne and the late Ed Moose.”

St. Anthony’s is grateful to have community partners like MoMo’s along with widespread community support for events like the Penny Pitch. Join us next year as we pitch pennies to change lives!

For more information about the Penny Pitch please visit the photo album on our Facebook page.

Click here to see KTVU’s coverage of the 35th Annual Penny Pitch to benefit St. Anthony’s Dining Room.

My younger brother, Neil, loved butterflies.  So, it was not surprising when he told his family he would send butterflies after his death to remind us he was “at home, at peace, and free.”

Neil died last December.  A month later, on the night of his birthday, his little grandaughter, Matilda, awakened, and went sleepy-eyed into her Mom and Dad’s bedroom.  Matilda whispered to her mother, “I want my train shirt.”  That was how this two year old asked for her tee shirt.  “Which train shirt do you want?”  her mother asked as she got up to help Matilda.  “The one with butterflies,” Matilda responded.

Then, a few weeks later, I was having lunch in our volunteer breakroom.  Marilyn, one of our Tuesday volunteers, sat down next to me.  As she reached into her pocket, she said, “Look what one of our guests gave me.”  She placed two, beautiful butterflies on the table.  I was awed; Neil was present.  The butterflies were a gift to Marilyn as well as to me.   In the silence of my heart those butterflies fluttered by me, and said, “Heaven is right here.”

My name is Andrew Nauer, and this summer I’ll be working as St. Anthony’s Communications and Outreach Intern.

Volunteerism and working toward social justice were somewhat foreign to me before coming to St. Anthony’s. I remember visiting the old Dining Room my sophomore year of high school at De la Salle for the immersion program.  I served food to the guests, conversed with some of the surrounding community, washed dishes, and then I suddenly was on my way home. I had only gotten a taste of the St. Anthony’s experience and what their foundation is all about. I have come to understand that this place goes beyond the free meal to an individual in need, and that’s what inspired me to take this internship.

I began volunteering several months ago when my mom had been offered a position at St. Anthony’s. My desire to help the Tenderloin district and the San Francisco community as a whole led me here. I am very interested in experiencing all that the St. Anthony Foundation has to offer in order to better understand what area of the social justice field I want to pursue a career in.

My personal goals for this internship include gaining a stronger understanding of the causes and effects of the poverty issues that the Tenderloin experiences, and exploring the different possibilities for future career in the social justice field. Furthermore, I plan on doing my best to help people on the outside understand what goes on at St. Anthony’s through Facebook, Twitter, and other popular foms of social media. I am very excited for all that St. Anthony’s has to offer the community and I look forward to begin sharing that with others.

It wouldn’t be Tuesday in the Dining Room without Phyllis and her colorful “tats” helping to serve our guests.

“We have a friend in common”, she told me.

“Really? Who is that?” I asked. Then she showed me the scroll with the name St. Francis inscribed on it along with a flock of beautiful birds tattooed on her arm.

“I’m a good Jewish woman but I love the saints and he’s my favorite.” Mine too, I said.

“Some of my friends think I’m crazy for having tattoos. And for serving in the Dining Room, for that matter. But they both make me happy.” She smiled.

Phyllis has the edge on me; she can compare her tats with our guests’ , many of whom have a colorful variety of their own. But me, I don’t have any tats to show off….yet.

Music is always a part of the dining experience here at St. Anthony’s. Guests, volunteers, and staff alike count on the music to bring their experience to life. You’ll often see staff members singing along and guests moving to the beat of the playlists that stream through our Dining Room sound system.

But on Tuesday, June 5, the Dining Room had a special musical treat: LIVE music! As seniors were served their first trays of delicious Beef Stroganoff, classic accordion melodies were being played by the one and only Tom Torriglia, a local musician that performs for the Bay Area non-profit Bread & Roses. Bread & Roses provides free, high quality live music to non-profit institutions that serve those who might not otherwise be able to experience such performances.

It was a treat for everyone to have a live accordion player grace us with such Italian American classics as O Sole Mio and Bella Ciao. One guest was even serenaded with Happy Birthday! Emotions ran high as the classic songs reminded our older guests and volunteers of their childhoods. Thank you Bread & Roses for your lovely contribution to our Tuesday meal!

On Memorial Day, we take a day off to remember those who have served and sacrificed. Wouldn’t it be fitting to make it a day on and serve guests in our Dining Room, many of whom are veterans themselves.

Memorial Day is the busiest day of the year in the Dining Room. Last year we served a total of 5,445 meals! Katie Slack, a Dining Room staff member, reminds us that “Mondays and days near the end of the month are always our busiest. Add other service closures for the holiday on top of that and you have the recipe for a truly dizzying lunchtime rush!”

We need volunteers on Memorial Day to help us serve our guests and make sure everyone enjoys the holiday. On the menu will be hot dogs and potato salad – a traditional summer kick-off meal! If you are available between 9:15 a.m. and 1:45 p.m. on Monday, May 28th and want to join us in service and celebration, please phone Celina Sutton at 415-592-2728 or email csutton@stanthonysf.org Individuals and groups are welcome – so bring your friends, family, church, club or team!

Are you looking for an alternative way to celebrate that anniversary with that special someone in your life?  Are you tired of receiving birthday gifts from Aunt Lola that you may not want or need? If so, you might consider asking your friends and family to make a donation to St. Anthony Foundation – and save them a trip to the mall!

That is just what brother and sister, Geremy and Genine decided to do!  Years ago, Geremy and Genine came to volunteer with their Justice Education class from St. Ignatius College Preparatory.  After their positive volunteer experience and Genine’s subsequent internship, St. Anthony Foundation quickly became one of their favorite local organizations.

This year as Geremy and Genine put on their graduation caps and gowns, they are encouraging invitees to their graduation celebration to consider making a gift in their honor to St. Anthony’s New Dining Room campaign. By sharing these gifts, Geremy and Genine are helping others reclaim their sense of dignity and respect.

For more information on how you too can celebrate your special day and give back to the community, please contact Jaime Kim at (415) 592-2707 or jkim@stanthonysf.org.

Congratulations Geremy and Genine, Class of 2012!

The simple word “um” (pronounced “oom”) sparked a friendship in the St. Anthony Dining Room that bridged an ancient tradition with the hope of a new generation.  Dining Room guest Mut had struggled to find a safe place to land in the Tenderloin.  His limited grasp of English, along with the hustle and bustle of the streets in the Tenderloin, left him alone and panicky about finding his way.  That is until the day he met Rath, a member of our Client Safety Services team.   Rath recognized his signals of distress and approached Mut with one simple syllable um.

Um is a way of communicating respect to an elder in Cambodian, directly translated as Uncle.  Rath feels a special sense of pride when it comes to this friendship and said, “Mut feels safe knowing I am around.  He feels comfort here and now shares a meal with us daily.  Before this, he was in search of food everywhere.”  There are twenty-two languages spoken in the Tenderloin, a long-standing launch pad for recent immigrants to San Francisco.  St. Anthony’s Dining Room remains one of the places many immigrants turn to as they begin a new life.

Like so many people who have come before, and countless people who will come after, the St. Anthony Dining Room serves up more than food.  It is a place where friendships are made and worlds come together.

Take me out to the ball game…to help build The New St. Anthony’s Dining Room.  Mark your calendars for St. Anthony’s big debut with the San Francisco Giants on April 27^th.  Our very own 2010 World Series Champions will take a swing to strike out hunger and inspire 44,000 Giants fans to be a part of the Miracle on Jones Street.  Shari Roeseler, our Executive Director, will join a team of supporters from St. Anthony’s and the Giants for our first ever Home Plate Ceremony.

Tickets for the game against the San Diego Padres are sold out, but that doesn’t mean you can’t come down to 2^nd and King and enjoy the fun.  MoMo’s Restaurant, the proud sponsors of our 35^th Annual Penny Pitch, invite all St. Anthony supporters to watch this exciting game among friends.  We’re over 80% of the way to reaching our fundraising goal.  With the faithful support of the Giants, MoMo’s, and you, we’re rounding 3^rd and heading home to ensure millions of San Franciscans always have a place to turn to in a time of need.