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.

Turkey Bowl

Two days prior to Thanksgiving, pro bowlers, sports celebrities and the community gathered together at Serra Bowl in Daly City to volunteer their time and skills as they bowled strikes for turkeys at the eleventh annual Turkey Bowl. This event raises money to buy turkeys to benefit the St. Anthony Dining Room as well as the North Peninsula Food Pantry & Dining Center of Daly City. Rex Golobic and his family – the owners of Serra Bowl – created this event to help feed the hungry over the holidays.  It has been successful since its very beginning and over 1,000 turkeys are contributed every year to help those in need.

Nancy Pelosi visits the Dining Room

On the day before Thanksgiving, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and her grandchildren graciously volunteered in our Dining Room. She has been donating her time to St. Anthony’s for many years and we are very thankful for her support. After serving, Pelosi reflected that “On Thanksgiving, we come together with family and friends to honor a spirit of gratitude: offering thanks for the blessings in our lives; giving back to the less fortunate in our communities.” Congresswoman Pelosi and her family captured the spirit of giving that we at St. Anthony’s cherish so much.

Turkey Carve

Later that day, recently re-elected Mayor Edwin Lee, Police Chief Greg Suhr, and Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White joined St. Anthony Chefs to put the final touches on our 61^st Thanksgiving Day meal.  The Mayor, Chiefs, and uniformed members of the San Francisco Police and Fire Departments carved the last of 4,800 pounds of turkey and added the final garnish of whipped cream to our 4,000 pumpkin pies.

Thanksgiving Day

On Thanksgiving Day and all other days, St. Anthony’s opens its doors to any and all San Franciscans.  Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist, joined over a hundred volunteers and thousands of guests to serve and enjoy a delicious meal prepared for 4,000.  As St. Anthony’s prepares to serve a growing number of needy residents, Executive Director Shari Roeseler commented, “These are difficult times.  At St. Anthony’s we see increasing numbers of people seeking services from all of our programs. The dining room alone saw a 15% jump in the number of guests in October.  Despite the challenges people of San Francisco are facing, I also see hope on a daily basis as donors, volunteers, and guests come together to celebrate the holiday season.” The Dining Room was full of hope and holiday cheer on Thanksgiving Day, as guests ate all the food off their plates, had second helpings of pumpkin pie, took more food home for leftovers, and walked out of St. Anthony’s with full stomachs and smiling faces.

With 4,800 pounds of turkey, 1,250 pounds of mashed potatoes, 1,250 pounds of yams, 1,000 pounds of stuffing, 4,000 individual pumpkin pies and more, this may have been one of the biggest thanksgiving meals you’ve ever seen!