This new year, our Nation’s voice has renewed her call to volunteerism, heightened by the growing needs of so many people in the current “economic downturn” . Our new President, Barack Obama, invited all who could to honor Martin Luther King Day as a National Day of Service. The phones here at St. Anthony Foundation rang off the hook!

As individual volunteer coordinator here at St. Anthony Foundation, I answer our Holiday Phone Line–a special number dedicated to Holiday volunteering interest during the Season. This past year, I heard something much more frequently than in previous years: “I’ve been laid off, and want to volunteer while I’m looking for work…” Even after the Holidays, that statement continued to be repeated on the year round volunteering voicemail. And I’m still hearing it. In addition to this “voice of the times”, we’ve been contacted of late by wonderful organizations who “want to do something” to address the current climate of hardship by inviting St. Anthony’s to participate in customized volunteer fairs. We’ve been happy to attend and blessed to meet the many people “who want to do something” to make a difference for the better.

A “light bulb” went on for me at one of these recent events, during a conversation with a radio journalist who was asking me about volunteer demographics and St. Anthony Foundation needs. There seems to be a notion gaining ground that Volunteerism is an answer to the economic casualties of the “Great Recession”. You’d assume that a volunteer coordinator would be all about that, yes? Not quite, and thanks really to the strong Justice Education framework that girds our volunteer programming here at St. Anthony’s–both for groups and individuals– I’ve been mentored in the model that views service from the zoom-in personal to the wide big picture. Our volunteers do have eyes AND hearts “wide open”! Volunteering to serve a tray of a hot, nutritious, and tasty meal to each person waiting in line and at last sitting down in our Dining Room invites a birds eye view of every person served as well as a recognition of just how long that line is, and what that says about our devastated “safety net”.

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Today is the day folks, get out and VOTE! There are six propositions dealing with the budget deficit and six opportunities for you to voice your opinion with your vote.

What are we voting on? For an quick and easy break down of the six measures click here.

Who is affected by these measures? Teachers, students, at-risk youth, foster kids, seniors, people with mental illnesses, you and me, and probably the person next to you right now.

How long does it take you to draw 6 one-inch lines? About thirty seconds.

Go to your polling place and VOTE!

Don’t know where your polling place is? Click here and enter your home address to find out.

This is San Francisco. You’ve probably seen non-discrimination statements covering a rich variety of factors: race, religion, ancestry, national origin, marital status, gender, age, and sexual orientation.

Here’s one you probably haven’t seen. To all of the above, it adds: physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, veteran status or reliance on public assistance.

All of these factors are related to poverty. People are often poor because they have a physical disability, a mental illness, a chronic disease, or wounds or illness picked up in the line of duty. In the U.S., the poor are not thought of as targets of discrimination. Economic security – food, clothing, housing – are not thought of as rights.

The statement belongs, of course, to St. Anthony Foundation. Furthermore, St. Anthony’s does not discriminate against people with poor literacy, if it does not interfere with the performance of their jobs. St. Anthony’s will assist employees who reveal problems with literacy to enter an adult literacy program.

We call ourselves an inclusive community. Every day, in every way, we try to mean it.

Every day that I come to work, say my hellos coming up from BART, wave hi to Dining Room staff, to Fr. Alfred Center guests working in the Dining Room as part of their recovery program. Make the left at Golden Gate and go up through the Social Work Center, the Clinic and the Employment Program and Tech Lab. (If I wanted to get real technical I’d tell you that I then walk past JEVA, our fantastically organized volunteer and advocacy program, but I digress.)

Every day I come to work I see these programs and the close-knit community of support that they offer to people most in need. But my friends and family don’t know first hand about the work that is done here, so I try and find ways to get them connected. The most powerful way to connect is to volunteer. And, our amazing group of volunteers regular and one-timers can attest to that. The connection is immediate, the sense of community is infallible. But, there are so many other ways to see what is going on down here at the foundation.

Maybe social networking is not the first thing you turn to when trying to search out community causes, events and organizations. Perhaps when you think of charity or “soup kitchens” (but please don’t call us a soup kitchen, those Dining Room chefs whip up a mean lunch every day of the year, not to be served with a spoon!) you don’t think of giving a “poke” or a “tweet“, but perhaps we could change your mind. St. Anthony Foundation is reaching out and connecting with folks who can’t come down here every day or every month and offering a bit of our community to the online community. On ourFacebook page, this blog and even on YouTube we’ve got a lot of exciting events, drives and video to help you stay connected and to help you share your St. Anthony experience with friends and family who have yet to learn about us.

I invite you to visit our Facebook page, take a peek at the YouTube videos and tell some friends. At 58-years old St. Anthony’s might not be a spring chicken, but we are learning new tricks and are excited to be able to share our daily work with you.

“Who does that help?”

San Francisco columnist C.W. Nevius posed this question last Saturday in regards to the social services available in The Tenderloin.

St. Anthony Foundation has been serving the needs of the poor and homeless, transitioning families and individuals out of poverty, since 1950. Prior to that Franciscans friars were organizing bread lines, pictured above, on the same block of Golden Gate in San Francisco dating as far back as 1908. For over 100 years this tiny stretch of the Tenderloin has been helping the needy in whatever capacity possible.

Here are some of the folks who, in our lifetime, have benefited from these services:

“It makes you realize … that they’re in the same situation as you or I, but something went wrong somewhere along the way.” – Jesse, High School Volunteer at St. Anthony Dining Room

“Without St. Anthony Free Medical Clinic I’d be dead. It’s such a positive place. Once you walk into the Clinic you know everything is going to be taken care of.” – Tim, St. Anthony Free Medical Clinic Client

“Since I’ve been here at St. Anthony’s I have seen nothing but love, appreciation, kindness, and people that really want to teach you or give you the opportunity.” – Leroy, St. Anthony Employment Program / Tech Lab Student.

“Part of what I do today as a banquet waiter is what I learned volunteering at St. Anthony’s. It’s all about service with a smile.” – Muhamad, former St. Anthony Dining Room guest and current Volunteer

“Everything is so expensive. Some people have to work two jobs and they still can’t make ends meet. That is why organizations like St. Anthony’s are so important.”– Olga, Volunteer at St. Anthony Dining Room

“Every day, I see people I used to get high with. When they see me, it gives them hope. As I stay clean, I’ll be the encouragement for others.” – James, Fr. Alfred Center Graduate

“I chose St. Anthony’s for an internship because I wanted to know more about the people who were living in the Tenderloin. There I found a community of people helping each other survive in an area of town that is neglected.” – Kathy, Former Intern at St. Anthony’s Employment Program / Tech Lab

Somebody said once that there are only two groups of people in the world: the saints, who think they are sinners, and the sinners, who think they are saints.

I don’t think Hank Wilson would EVER have thought of himself as a saint, so, according to the grouping above he probably WAS one. And there is a lot more evidence.

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“There’s no such thing as us and them. There’s no them. It’s all us.” This is one of the things that the JEVA (Justice Education, Volunteers, and Advocacy) department tells volunteers during the introduction to our work at St. Anthony’s. One of the most profound things that our volunteers experience is the reality of the common humanity among all people, regardless of income, disability status, or age.  Every time I think about this phrase, I am reminded of a story that I’ve heard many times …

It was around 1910 when his parents decided to come to America. They knew that their future in southern Italy was bleak. All they had ever known was poverty. Neither his mother nor his father could read or write Italian, and neither could speak English. Yet, when they heard of an American textile company that could offer employment, they decided to leave everything they’d ever known to come to the United States. It’s impossible to know whether they realized that they’d never see Italy or their parents again. They probably didn’t allow themselves to think about such things — they realized that the best chance for their family’s survival depended on their ability to make the 2-week long sea voyage from Italy to New York. As the date of their voyage drew closer, they surely, as they had many times during past uncertainty and strife, they prayed to St. Anthony for help, strength, and comfort.

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Low-income San Franciscans will pay for the second disappointing public budget of the year. Last month, the city passed a budget with staggering cuts to health and human services, especially for poor people. The city budget will reduce or close many non-profits serving the poor.

This month, the state ended the longest budget stalemate in California’s history by passing one that slashes services to the poor and homeless. These are the most vulnerable of the most vulnerable.

The Working Poor

• $70 million cut from child care for CalWorks families
• CalWorkers paid the same wages as in 2004

Seniors

• The entire $190.1 million cut from Senior Citizens Property and Renters’ Tax Assistance
• All cost of living increases cut for 2 consecutive years
• Cuts in Senior Community Employment, Home Delivered Meals, Adult Protective Services, and Multipurpose Senior Services Program

Families and Sick People

• Inadequate cap on dental coverage for children in the Healthy Families program
• Apply twice a year to keep children in Medi-Cal
• $7.7 million cut from mental health managed care
• 5% cut in provider rate for health, dental, and vision plans
• No California Prescription Drug Program for another year

The Homeless

• Complete elimination of the Emergency Homeless Assistance Program. Two San Francisco shelters will lose significant funding.

At St. Anthony Foundation, we’re getting ready for the new guests these cuts will bring to our doors.  That’s why we’re putting up new facilities and refocusing our work. The future is asking more of all of us.

I’ve been writing about the people we serve who once served others. The middle-aged woman I interviewed who lost her apartment after taking care of a terminally ill brother. The elderly woman who couldn’t find work in her home country after caring for her father all of her life. The veterans from a succession of generations, still broken by the wars they fought in Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq. The seniors who worked full time into their early 70’s.

“I’ve always worked for a living,” Maggie told me,” I’ve always had a nice apartment. I’ve been on my own for a long, long time. Of course I’d never been homeless before. This was a first, and a shock.”

What is remarkable to me is the lack of bitterness in the stories our guests tell. All they can talk about is how grateful they are for the help they receive from St. Anthony’s. They talk about the hope they feel as they begin to address their situations, a hope they credit to St. Anthony’s rather than to their own courage and resilience. People going through the Dining Room line praise the security team for treating them with respect and friendliness, for acting more like hosts than guards.  Maggie wants to be sure I include her thanks to Fr. John and Sister Andrea in what I write “for their wonderful council.”  Bertha praises the staff and guests at the Madonna Residence for creating community.

“When I first came here, I was welcomed with open arms,” Bertha said.  “Everyone here made me feel at home.”

Community and respect seem like small recompense for all Bertha has done for others.  The same is true of so many of our guests.