This year on Valentine’s Day, the Free Clothing Program played host to VET SOS, and by ‘played host,’ I mean they took over our parking lot for the day. We are happy to announce that VET SOS will now be visiting the Free Clothing Program on a regular basis, about three times a year. VET SOS is a volunteer-based project providing free veterinary care for the companion animals of homeless San Franciscans. The project uses a specially outfitted van to provide its outreach and veterinary services in selected areas of San Francisco that are inhabited by homeless individuals with companion animals.

The project visits the Castro/Mission, China Basin, Golden Gate Park, Haight-Ashbury and Bayview-Hunter’s Point neighborhoods on the second Friday of each month. In addition, the project provides its services at San Francisco’s six annual Project Homeless Connect events in the City’s Tenderloin neighborhood, and in Golden Gate Park during Notre Dame de Namur University’s Thanksgiving Day Picnic with the homeless.

The van carries veterinary vaccinations, medications, medical charts, animal food, leashes, collars, halters, and other necessary supplies that are dispensed on site by a volunteer staff that includes one or more veterinarians, one or more vet techs, and an animal assistant. When possible, an animal behaviorist joins this team.

Valentine’s Day was the first time they were using the Free Clothing Program as one of their mobile sites, so we were all a little nervous about how it would go. But according to Bernadette Guirguis, VET SOS Project Assistant, it was the bee’s knees! Though I’m pretty sure they don’t treat bees.

 A total of 36 animals were seen (32 dogs, 3 cats, and a rat) and 2 animals were sent to be spayed/neutered at the San Francisco SPCA! We’re also very pleased to announce that VET SOS will be returning to the Free Clothing Program on May 9^th, as well as again in November.

Donations to VET SOS can be made directly to the Free Clothing Program. Here is what they are specifically in need of (the ones in bold are the highest need): flea treatment k9/feline, heart guard (all sizes), 22g 3/4in needles, allergy pills, shampoos, wet food, muzzles (all sizes), bowls, doggie clothing (all sizes), nail trimmers (non-guillotine), heat sources/heat pads, plastic bags (grocery bags for supplies), non-expired antibiotics. Please note that Vet SOS cannot accept expired medications, expired pet food, or controlled substances, will not accept open bags of pet food, and currently cannot accept donations of LRS or other fluids, any insulin syringes, or IV medications.

 Thank you again to Bernadette and everybody at VET SOS for helping to improve the lives of our clients and the pets they love!

In photo: a VET SOS client with her dog, Precious.

Photo courtesy of Mark Rogers photography.

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

Meet Marcellus. He is an intelligent, personable and rather funny young man, and he’s looking for a job. Marcellus called us at 9:30 in the morning because he had a job interview at Loew’s at 12:30 and desperately needed a new suit. He had tried everywhere he could think of with no success. Finally he googled ‘free clothing’ and found us. We told him to get over here as fast as he could. Luckily, he was already on the way.

Last month, the Free Clothing Program partnered with A Miner Miracle, so we are now able to offer our male guests brand new job interview clothing. For those of you who are not familiar with A Miner Miracle, it is a San Francisco based non-profit that has been providing professional clothing and image counseling to low-income men, women and young adults seeking employment since 1995. It is the creation of Kathy Miner and has been responsible for assisting more than 13,000 individuals in their quest to re-enter the workforce. Unfortunately, the men’s program was forced to close its doors last year. The work Ms. Miner and A Miner Miracle had done is integral to the stability of the men and women they served, which included many of the residents of St. Anthony’s drug and alcohol recovery program, Father Alfred Center. So we here at the Free Clothing Program are very proud to carry on Kathy Miner’s legacy.

When I met Marcellus for the first time this morning, he was wearing a sport coat, jeans and sneakers, and I’m guessing he had spent the morning and the night before wondering how he would explain such a thing to a perspective employer. When I took him to see the clothes, he looked at me and said, with a smile on his face, “I had a feeling about this morning.”

It took about a half an hour to find him the perfect jacket. Then a brand new pair of shoes, new pants, new shirts and a black tie. The only sticking point was the belt. We literally only had one men’s belt in stock and it was a size too small. A Miner Miracle is provided a limited supply of new clothing by some very generous corporate donors; however, there are still some things, like belts and dress socks, which we rely solely on individual donations to provide. So Marcellus had to make the best with the belt we had.

Belt issues aside, Marcellus looked like a different man by the time he emerged in his new clothes. Bubbling with enthusiasm, that same big smile on his face, he left the Free Clothing Program with ‘Good lucks’ and handshakes from the entire staff. I made him promise to let us know what happened later and told him that once he got the job, he should come back for some career clothing. With a profuse amount of thank yous, Marcellus walked away, confident and capable and happy.

Thank you to Kathy Miner and A Miner Miracle for making this possible. And thank you to whoever donated a size 38 reversible black and brown leather belt. It certainly went to good use. Please keep them coming!

This holiday season has been very good to the Free Clothing Program thanks to generous donors committed to spreading the word about our need for coats and setting up Donation Drives in their workplace, apartment buildings, schools, etc.  Every year we partner with One Warm Coat and are the recipients of donations from Coat Drives from all around the Bay Area.  One Warm Coat is a non-profit organization which started in San Francisco in 1992. Their goals are to develop and nurture the volunteer spirit in caring people everywhere; to make it easy to help those in need in local communities; and to provide tools and resources to help volunteers organize coat drives, publicize their events and connect with local Agencies to distribute donated coats.

We started off this year’s One Warm Coat drive the day after Thanksgiving with an on-site drive at the Ferry Building. With the help of the Girl Scouts and their Troop Leader Gaycia Parks, we collected almost 1,000 coats for men, women, and children!  From there we have had over 20 companies and individuals organize One Warm Coat drives for us including Burlington Coat Factory, The Container Store, 7-11, which conducted a 50+ store Bay Area-wide coat drive, and Mochi Media to name a few.  We were also incredibly impressed and uplifted by the number of high school students that started drives in their schools and with friends and family.

Candace Diamos collected so many coats that her father Barney, who also does a lot of work in his own community with homeless veterans and seniors, had to drop them off in one of the biggest pick-up trucks we had ever seen.  Madison Castagnola not only did a coat drive in her school, but also gave a presentation to the entire student body about homelessness and the work we do here at St. Anthony’s. It was so successful that even a class of kindergarteners donated children’s pajamas that they wrapped as holiday presents.  Her little sister Riley has promised us that she will be president one day.  We’re still trying to convince Madison to put in for Secretary of State. And Jasmine Jaciw started Project Jazzy J with the goal of collecting 2,015 coats by the time she graduates in 2015. In only a few months, she had already collected 227 coats.

The tremendous outpouring of support has allowed us to distribute a bit of warmth and comfort to many of our guests. In December alone we were able to give out over 600 coats despite being open for only three weeks that month.

As we’ve all come to know, it is always winter in San Francisco. As Mark Twain famously said, “The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.” So don’t forget that we accept coats year round!  Men’s coats are especially hard for us to keep in stock.  If you are interested in conducting a coat drive please contact Morgan Moore at mmoore@stanthonysf.org  or check out our website for details: http://www.stanthonysf.org/?q=donate/donate-clothes

 A huge thank you to One Warm Coat!  Also to all those individuals that organized Donation Drives for us.  We rely exclusively on donations to run our program so if you have one warm coat that you would like to go to someone in need, please think of us!

In photo: Madison Castagnola (far right) and her mom, Bernie Castagnola (2nd from left), drop off clothing for St. Anthony’s guests during this year’s holiday Curbside donation drives.

Morgan Moore is the Volunteer Coordinator at St. Anthony’s Free Clothing Program.

Nancy Vital is a service-learning student in the Erasmus Program at the University of San Francisco.  Service-learning students spend a semester at St. Anthony’s doing service, learning about social issues and connecting their experience with their course work.

Before I began my work at St. Anthony’s Foundation, I did not know what to expect. Not being from the Bay Area, I had only heard negative comments about the Tenderloin, and had only limited experience in the area myself. Additionally, I did not have any previous experience working or volunteering at a full service foundation such as St. Anthony’s, so I came to this work site with an open mind.

Although I virtually had no expectations at the outset, I was blown away by the values, standards, and complete treatment of everyone who walks through St. Anthony’s doors. I was able to experience working in the technology lab, assisting in computer classes, sorting through items and working in the store in the clothing department, and serving meals in the dining room. Many organizations focus solely on one aspect of assistance to the homeless, such as providing a meal. However, I was most impressed by St. Anthony’s efforts to provide progress towards a person’s overall stability by serving the multiple and varied needs associated with being homeless.

I have been enjoying my work in the Tenderloin Technology Lab, Free Clothing Program, and Dining Room, but it is the little things that make the Foundation exceptional. While working the front table at the Dining Room, St. Anthony’s provides a system where guests can “check” their items, so they do not need to carry them around while enjoying their meal. While I was working at the front, multiple guests told me how thankful they are that the foundation offered a system like this, which enabled them to have a period where they were not lugging their heavy items around. Additionally I was amazed to see that St. Anthony’s also gives birthday bags to guests on their birthdays, and was delighted to see the looks of excited anticipation on the guest’s faces when they told us it was their birthday. These heartfelt human extra efforts help people so much, in addition to the basic food, clothes, tech assistance and other services provided.

It was Christmas Eve 2004 when Richard first met Luis. It was a rainy night and Richard, who was homeless at the time, was sleeping in the Civic Center. It was still dark when he awoke from the rain and empty. Richard remembers the moment vividly: the rain, Christmas Eve, the empty Civic Center, and then seeing one solitary figure at the end of it. “Two strangers in the rain,” is how Richard describes it.

Richard had seen Luis around before but did not know his name. He walked over to him and asked him why he didn’t go home. Luis put his hand in his pocket and showed Richard a handful of drugs. Then he said in his broken English that he couldn’t go home. Richard patted him on the shoulder and said, “Well, at least get out of the rain.”

It was a month later when Richard ran into Luis again. Luis was so excited to see him that he insisted on buying Richard lunch. Richard had already eaten but had a teabag in his shirt pocket, so he told Luis that instead of food, he’d take some hot water. And it was during that lunch when Richard discovered that Luis’ father had died. Tears come to his eyes when he talks about it. Luis saying in his broken English, “I have no father.” Luis is 16 at this time and Richard never had any children.

For the next few years they remained in touch. Their friendship continued to build. Even though Richard has a home, he sometimes sleeps on the sidewalk and when Luis would see him, he’d wake him up and force him to sleep inside where it was safe. Luis begins to call Richard his American father. But in the beginning of 2006, Luis disappears. This is not the first time it’s happened, but it is the longest. Richard is worried that he was deported back to Honduras. Months pass with no word from him. Richard moves, loses his cell phone, gets a new cell phone, and is convinced that he will never see or hear from him again. Until one day in June, he takes a bus that he doesn’t normally take and then sits down in the front of the bus even though he normally sits in the back, and when he looks up, it’s Luis sitting across from him.

Luis is 24 now and living in Honduras with a family of his own. He talks to Richard at least once a week, except instead of calling him his American father, he just refers to him as father. He worries that Richard isn’t eating enough and tells him to eat hamburgers instead of drinking tea. He wants him to move in with his family in Honduras before the next coffee harvest. Richard is still considering it.

When Richard tells the story he speaks of mysticism and magic. How two strangers in the rain one Christmas Eve can start a story that has no ending, that is still happening. How someone who needs a father can find someone who equally needs a son. And how no matter what happens, the simple act of caring about somebody means they will always find each other again and again. As Richard puts it: “What God puts together, no man can put asunder.”

Richard has been a guest of St. Anthony’s since 2009.

Adam Ross is a service-learning student in the Management & Organizational Dynamics course at the University of San Francisco.  Service-learning students spend a semester at St. Anthony’s doing service, learning about social issues and connecting their experience with their course work.

St. Anthony Foundation (SAF) provides a premier service to individuals of disadvantaged backgrounds in the San Francisco community.  For the past 2 ½ months, I have had the opportunity to help enhance St. Anthony’s Free Clothing Program currently located on Mission street.   Through direct service, I have begun to gather a more thorough understanding of not keeping individuals to a single story and making an effort to gain a greater perspective of people around the city.

One of the most interesting experiences I have had while traveling to St. Anthony Foundation came rather unexpected.  It occurred in mid September when traveling on the Muni (31) headed towards SAF.  As the bus approached the stop, I exited along with a young lady and her child.  As I began walking down the street, the lady stopped me and asked for directions to the St. Anthony Foundation. I explained to her that I was headed the same way and I could take her in that direction. As we began to walk, the woman’s child began to produce one of the largest smiles I had ever seen.  When I asked the kid what he was smiling about, he looked at his mom and asked, “is that the place that makes my stomach stop hurting?”  The young woman began to tell me about how she found out about SAF and the individuals that had recommended her there, both past clients and staff, had become closer to her than her family and therefore, she figured she could trust that things were going to be alright for her and her son.

Kelly Six is a service-learning student in the Management & Organizational Dynamics course at the University of San Francisco.  Service-learning students spend a semester at St. Anthony’s doing service, learning about social issues and connecting their experience with their course work.

Going into my Service Learning partnership knowing very little about the St. Anthony’s Foundation, besides a few of the services that it provided for the community, there has been one thing that has stuck out since the beginning that has taught me the most about the foundation. From day one of orientation up until just the other day in a group reflection, the concept of “respect” has come up again and again. One of the top values of the foundation is what guides every action and decision made by the workers, the volunteers and the organization as a whole. This has taught me so much about the type of work that St Anthony’s does, and has been an inspiring lens to look at the world around me and guide the work that I do myself.

On my first day of service, I was asked to work in the front of the store, where the customers walk through to shop for their clothes at the Free Clothing Program. I was there first thing in the morning, which is the portion of the day that they serve the men. The first thing I noticed was that the store-front was clean and organized, exactly how the thrift stores that I shop at look like. Pants were ordered by size, all facing the same way and hung neatly on their hangers; shirts were categorized by style, size and even color in some places; baskets were all neatly piled by the front entrance. This was all done with a high level of respect for the customers. The ease, comfort and advantage of the customer had been carefully considered in each decision that was made about the arrangement of the store.  Furthermore, (and most importantly) the other workers in the store treated the customers like friends. I’ve never seen so many smiles at 8 AM in a “regular” store as I did at the Free Clothing Program. Workers would joke and laugh with customers, do whatever it took to make their mornings easier, and go out of their way to find something a customer was looking for. The customer was highly respected and it was obvious.

While helping customers find the clothes that they wanted, I quickly learned the value of this respect. One man was having trouble picking between two pairs of jeans, in the pants section of the store. I walked up to him and asked him if he needed any help; he looked very distressed. “These jeans are one size too big, and these jeans are perfect, but I hate the color,” he said. “I need new pants, though. I’ll just take the ones that are the right size.”

At first I was going to leave him to that decision. The jeans were fine, because they would fit. But I remembered the word that I had been talking about with my team members, the other people working at the clothing program and my community partner leaders. I realized that it was not just an idea, but a constant way of acting. I decided to put what I had been hearing into action, and be as respectful toward this customer as I could. “No need,” I said. “I can always go check in the back to see if we have any better options.”

I walked into the back of the building and it only took me a few minutes to find several pairs of jeans in his size. I put them on hangers and carried them back out to the man. When I held up the options I had found, his eyes widened in surprise. “You found all those for me?” I nodded to him. “Those,” he said as he pointed to one pair and grinned at me.

At the Free Clothing Program, I have learned that it doesn’t take much extra work to show someone that you respect them and their wishes. I believe that this is why St. Anthony’s is so successful in delivering services to the community. They know that it is worth that extra step to include respect in every action, and that achieving a goal, or making a difference is only worth it if you arrive there the right way: with respect and dignity in everything that you do.

As we see year after year at St. Anthony’s, the abundance of gifts from people in the Bay Area is truly awe inspiring. If you’re a return donor to curbside, you’ll notice many changes this year as we are operating out of our temporary Dining Room at 150 Golden Gate Avenue. In addition to the new location for drop-off donations, we are asking for a specific list of essential items for our guests.

Please bring donations of food, hygiene items, new socks, and hand-knit scarves and hats specifically during the Curbside Donation Drives. Please help us to fill this critical need by focusing on donations of these items for 2012. All other donations are accepted throughout the year, Monday-Friday from 8am-4:15pm at our Free Clothing Program at 8th and Mission.

2012 Curbside Dates:
Saturday, November 17th – Thursday, November 22nd
Weekends: 9am-3pm; Weekdays: 8am-5pm

Saturday, December 22nd – Monday, December 24th
All days: 9am-3pm

Stay tuned as we announce details on activities, entertainment, and spreading holiday cheer to our guests through musical performances, gift bag giveaways and tree decorating. And thank you to the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir and Nothing but Treble for joining St. Anthony’s on December 22nd and 23rd to bring holiday music to our guests.

Steven, a 26-year-old graduate of Academy of Art University, found himself newly homeless after a series of unfortunate incidents, including having his laptop, portfolio, and clothes stolen.  Hungry and looking for help, Steven made his way to St. Anthony’s Dining Room.  After coming in to sit down for a warm meal, one of our Guest Services staff noticed he had a serious limp.  They helped him upstairs to St. Anthony’s Medical Clinic, where his feet were soaked in iodine to reduce the pain and inflammation.  Rather than go barefoot, Steven squeezed his size ten feet into size eight shoes.

The Clinic referred him to our Free Clothing Program for clean clothes, a backpack, toiletries, and a new pair of size ten shoes.  Now, Steven is working with our Social Work Center and Technology Lab to pursue housing and employment options.  Like thousands of guests who come to the Dining Room, Steven discovered a brighter future at St. Anthony’s; one that starts with a warm meal and helping hand.

For 62 years, St. Anthony Foundation’s programs have been a gateway for at-risk San Franciscans to reclaim their sense of dignity and progress towards stability.

Click here to learn more about all of our services.