“Is there a Digital Divide”? How does the inaccessibility of technology and information affect low-income people?

These are questions that Archbishop Mitty High School endeavored to answer during a week long immersion led by the Justice Education Volunteer and Advocacy Program at St. Anthony’s.

The students’ exercise assigned each of them a different identity from Pacific Heights lawyer and a mother of three working as a bank teller; to an unemployed homeless person and a 5th grader in the Richmond District. They all started equally at the digital divide line and then answered questions about themselves and their lives, taking steps forward or back depending on their knowledge and access to technology. At the end of the exercise they found themselves at opposite ends of the room; discovering that gender, income, disability, and geographic location all affect a person’s ability to access technology. This demonstration quite clearly illustrated the technological divide in the Tenderloin community.

Students realized that early education and access to technology help people access well- paying jobs that require technological understanding and skills and those who are not able not able to have the same benefit often remain stuck in low wage, low-skills jobs.

Later in the day The Tenderloin Tech Lab welcomed a team of volunteers from Google … stay tuned for what happens next!

The clothing they collected will go to help poor and homeless families and individuals at St. Anthony’s Free Clothing Program.

Thanks, ladies! You are awesome!

Students from Archbishop Riordan High School in San Francisco were here yesterday to volunteer at St. Anthony Dining Room and the Free Clothing Program. Not only did they do a fantastic job serving meals, busing tables and sorting through donated clothes but they also brought in canned food items for clients at the Social Work Center and their own gently used clothes for the Free Clothing Program. Thank you for your service and your support, guys!

Thanks to the students of the Jefferson School for collecting 1020 pairs of brand new socks for our guests in their sock drive! Here are a few pictures from their visit.

Thanks to the Kelly family from Menlo Park, who dropped off a Suburban full of clothes from their drive on Monday. What a great way to do a drive! They emailed their friends and said:

“We’re collecting clean, gently used clothes for St. Anthony’s. If you’d like to donate men’s, women’s, or children’s clothes, just email us back, then Sunday morning leave the bag outside your front door. We’ll drive around and pick them up.”

So many people are doing drives for us. It makes such a difference to our guests, who are really struggling this year. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

“It’s like grabbing two high tension wires and being electrified with love and compassion.”

– Lama Tharchin Rinpoche, explaining how devotion and compassion work together. The more intense our devotion, the more vast our compassion, the brighter we shine.

Guests of St. Anthony Dining Room were treated to a surprise visit from San Francisco Giants Pitcher Barry Zito today. Zito served trays of lasagna, salad, juice and dessert alongside dozens of regular long-time volunteers.

Barry ended his shift by signing autographs for guests and high school volunteers from Coliseum College Prep Academy in Oakland.

Thanks for stopping by, Barry! We hope to see you again soon!