The following is a reflection from St. Ignatius students participating in a two week immersion at St. Anthony’s.

Hello!  A lot has happened since we last wrote.  We’ve continued learning in the JEVA (Justice Education, Volunteer and Advocacy) classroom at St. Anthony Foundation.  We looked at the distribution of wealth nationally and realized the large gap between the classes.  We also used the game of JENGA as an analogy to the real world and its structure of laws and rules.  It became frustrating when rules changed and we didn’t have control over the powers that be.  Friday we discussed the different types of service in our society.  Today, Tuesday, we began talking about advocacy and how to get involved either on a legislative level or by the power of assembly.  Today we had the opportunity to meet Sean Elsburnd, an SI graduate and now the District 6 supervisor.  It was interesting to hear him speak about the city’s government and see city hall.  This past weekend we traveled to Santa Cruz for a mid-trip retreat.  We reflected and spent time at the beach.  We spent Saturday night at a hotel, and our group continued to bond and have more fun!  It was really nice to do some laundry at the local Laundromat.  Sunday we went on a nature hike and swam in the river there as well. On 4^th of July we walked to the Ferry Building and watched the city fireworks.  Yesterday we also went to Grace Cathedral and took some time to reflect and pray.  We walked down a labyrinth there.

We have kept up our nightly reflections and focused on a variety of topics including charity, justice, service, solidarity, community, and faith.  Our reflection discussions have been vital to this trip.   We are continuing to challenge others and be challenged.  The tenets of living simply, acting justly, community and spirituality continue to be very prominent in our everyday encounters.

The following is a reflection from St. Ignatius students participating in a two week immersion at St. Anthony’s.

Hey There! This is Caroline and Camille writing for San Francisco Immersion on day 4. The past three days we have worked at St. Anthony’s Dining Room, two different senior centers, two clothing distributors, and a homeless shelter. In addition to these, we have attended learning workshops at St. Anthony’s to understand issues surrounding and causing poverty and homelessness.

We have been here for technically three days and four nights. One of the most interesting things we have observed is time. We spend a lot of our days waiting like many people in this neighborhood do every day. Whether waiting for a shower, dinner on a hotplate, or in line at St. Anthony’s for lunch have been on our feet for most of the day. However, through this period of focus we have met many amazing people. As a group we have listened to two recovering addicts speak and realized how easy it is to take our family and friends at home for granted. Personally we have been surprised with how easy it is to make connections to people we are serving. We met an elderly woman who fled Ukraine because of violence and told us many times how much she appreciated us being there. At St Anthony’s we met many people more than eager to give us life advice and who were some of the kindest and smartest people who couldn’t have been more gracious, including a man who traveled all through Europe and a woman who was from Cuba and had been painting art since she was a young girl.

Overall, the past four days have helped us grow closer as a community both within our immersion group and within the Tenderloin. We’re excited to see what happens next.

For almost 20 years now St. Ignatius College Prep has sent a group of rising seniors to spend two weeks living and working in the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco. This year’s group arrived yesterday morning. They are living in a small room at a local non-profit. They all sleep in one small room on mats on the floor and have small kitchen to cook and eat their meals. They have a small budget to cover their food and other necessities. For many of the students this is their first taste of living on their own; doing their own shopping, cooking and laundry. They spend their days with St. Anthony’s Justice Education Program; doing service in the Tenderloin and participating in educational workshops about poverty and homelessness.

They will be writing about their experience right here on our blog.

Follow-them on their journey of service and solidarity over the next two weeks.

On Wednesday August 11th, State Legislators & other politicians in Sacramento met with everyday people to discuss alternative ways to balance the CA budget with out cutting money from vital social programs. Residents at Father Alfred Center, St. Anthony’s inpatient drug and alcohol rehabilitation program, residents went there with the Jusice Education, Volunteer and Advocacy program and The Health and Human Services Network to show the face of those in treatment.

HHS Came to the talks with three stated goals.
• “To Invest in and protect the health and human services vital to California’s economy and families.”
• “To champion alternatives to dismantling our health care and human services including targeted state revenues and federal recovery funds.”
• And finally, “To reform and re-invent the states broken budget process.”

Father Alfred Center Residents who attended spoke on a number of issues related to these goals.

For example, California currently imposes a lifetime ban on food stamps for individuals who are convicted of drug related felonies (even those in recovery). One resident who spoke at the event told me, “Food Stamps help Stimulate the economy among other things. By keeping them from those seeking treatment, the economy is denied that stimulation effect.”

Other ideas proposed were a nickel tax on all alcoholic beverages sold in CA, and a tax on imported oil.

When I asked her to comment Colleen Rivecca of St. Anthony Foundation’s Jusice Education, Volunteer and Advocacy program told me:

“One of the budget balancing strategies in the Governor’s Budget Proposal is to cut the benefit levels for people receiving SSI/SSP grants. SSI/SSP recipients are low-income blind, elderly and disabled people, and they are ineligible for Food Stamps. People receiving SSI/SSP have already received 3 grant level reductions within the past year. The guys talked about the growing numbers of seniors and people with disabilities that they see every day while working in at St. Anthony Dining Room – they said that these people are already struggling to make ends meet, and a further reduction in their benefits would make it even more difficult for them to survive.”

A lot of good ideas were exchanged at the meeting, and as always Father Alfred Center Residents and St Anthony Foundation was there to do their part.

As a member of the JEVA (Justice Education, Volunteers, and Advocacy) work unit, I host groups of volunteers on a weekly basis. Yesterday, as I was waiting in our Dining Room for the group to finish its shift, I was treated to an impromptu concert by one of our guests.

This guest, an older gentleman with an easy smile, sat down at the piano in the dining room lobby and started playing one of my favorite songs: Lucille by Little Richard.

I wasn’t the only person enjoying the concert. Another Dining Room guest heard the music and came over, smiling and dancing, and said, “There’s so much talent in the Tenderloin“. Other dining room guests who were still in line for food were smiling, dancing, clapping, and snapping their fingers.

After a few minutes, the piano player’s friend came over and said, “Hey man, I didn’t know you played the piano.” The piano player said, “I just needed something to do while I was waiting for you.”

All we have to do is open our eyes and our minds, and we can find all sorts of talent in the Tenderloin. I’m proud that the St. Anthony Foundation Dining Room is a part of what brings out the best in the Tenderloin: the talent, the generosity, the friendship, the community, and the love.

If you have been thinking about volunteering at St. Anthomy’s there is no better time than now! Round up a team and help us keep food on the table.

These dates are just a few short weeks away so give us a ring and mark your calendar.

We can’t wait to see you again!

P.S. You can give us a ring at (415) 592-2704 or send an email to dgould@stanthonysf.org to confirm your date.

St. Anthony Foundation’s Volunteer Program was featured in this month’s Nonprofit Times. Read a short except below or click here to download a .pdf scan of the article.

“Nonprofits should also think about developing an orientation program to connect with volunteers. Angelina Cahalan, volunteer manager for St. Anthony’s, explained the orientation allows for a piece of education for volunteers, including St. Anthony’s history, how the organization does its work and the community it serves. “We want them to understand the deeper realities for the people who live in this community. What is going to be like working with these folks? We invite them to be a part of the mission. What we do is really important to us and, more importantly, how we do everything we do with dignity and respect,” said Cahalan.

The recent few days have seen record-breaking cold temps in the Bay Area. To top it off, cold/freezing rain is expected through the weekend. There’s seems to be a new “reflex” added to comments about how cold it is: “…but I’m blessed to have a roof over my head: how are those that don’t surviving in this weather?!” For an unfortunately growing number of years, the memorial service held in front of City Hall for homeless folks* who’ve died is devastating evidence that many don’t survive the street, (hypothermia & pneumonia are among the consequences of exposure).

“Empathy”—that buzz word that seems to have gotten an undeserved bad rap of late, is thank goodness, much in evidence as well, and is warming hearts at least, in these chilling times. Much of this empathy is revealing itself in the conversations that I’m having with our regular and our Holiday volunteers. Compassion and understanding are qualities expressed by our volunteers all along, but the “accent” on today’s economic challenges and conditions is coming through loud and clear. It’s humbling and encouraging to be in the healing mix of those who continue to “show up”, regardless of weather extremes and societal crises, aware but undaunted, and – in good spirits to boot!!! What’s more, no one can walk farther than yard or two in the “TL” these days without seeing one local “Santa” after the next, with that tell-tale red hat donning the heads of so many of our neighbors! Good spirits, indeed!

I’d like to close my Dec blog with a quote that I came across recently:

To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness… And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory. Howard Zinn, Activist, teacher, & author of “A People’s History of the United States (1980).”

I chased down the etymology of the word “volunteer” today, and it’s root and branches have everything to do with freely willing (to serve). I’d say there’s no doubt that volunteers “make history” everyday with their free and willing service of “compassion, sacrifice, courage, and kindness…” And, as for those informal community moments—anytime, anyone “volunteers” a sign of hope—even when that is a “signature December hat”… my hat’s off to you!

Healing Holidays and a hope-filled New Year to one and all!

* This year’s Memorial Service for those that have died on the street will be once again on Winter Solstice, December 21st, Civic Center at 5:30pm. It’s organized by NetWork Ministries and the Coalition on Homelessness. Bring a candle and your caring heart.

The savory aromas gathering for days; the friends and relatives visiting, the Macy’s Parade and Football on TV … the contentedly full belly and turkey enhanced deep sleep; and the leftovers! Ah the leftovers, stuffing and turkey soup, potatoes, pies, and cranberry sauce … I’ve been among the fortunate, for many years of my lifetime, to expect and enjoy this description of late November.

Unfortunately, there have always been those who are not able to count on such celebrations & fare. And as we know, that number–not only for Holiday meals but for any meal, is dramatically on the rise. Just this past Tues, Nov. 17th, the PBS NewsHour with Jim Lehrer featured a story “More Americans Facing Hunger.” The US Dept of Agriculture has issued new findings of a 14.6% increase in the number of Americans having trouble putting enough food on the table between 2007 and 2008: that’s 50 million people, one in every 7 American households!

Sadly, hunger is nothing new. St. Anthony Dining Room has been serving meals for almost 60 years, but the increase in numbers of those being served is a very strong and visible call for renewed efforts to address the shortfall in resources and in access to them. The wonderful benefactors of St. Anthony Foundation–those donating their time and their treasure, continue to “come to the table” to serve and to offer their utmost and to share in the exchange of giving and receiving.

I remember a time not so long ago in my own life, when Mother Teresa of Calcutta said that America experienced not so much material poverty, as it did spiritual. I don’t think we could find many folks today who know that material poverty has “gained ground on the American landscape”. There’s no question that we long to see and that we work together, not only to address this change, but to reverse it.

Over this past decade especially, my experience of Thanksgiving has been quite different than those earlier years, and perhaps it has become in some sense more in keeping with “the legend” at least, of the original Thanksgiving: the celebrating, the sharing, that insures not only survival, but that cultivates community. To all of our wonderful benefactors–volunteers, donors, guests, clients, staff, friends, and family, bless you for keeping the “Giving” in thanks. And for doing that not only during the Holiday Season, but every single day.

The first Wednesday of each month is a special day at St. Anthony’s : it is the day that our drug and alcohol rehab program, the Father Alfred Center, celebrates graduation. After spending 12 months of hard work to get and stay clean, graduation allows us to recognize the accomplishments of our Fr. Alfred Center participants while acknowledging that their recovery will continue after they leave.

Each of the St. Anthony Foundation departments who work with the Father Alfred Center participants makes a brief presentation as a part of the graduation ceremony. This month, it was my turn to speak for my department, the Justice Education, Volunteer, and Advocacy program, also known as JEVA.

I used my presentation as an opportunity to acknowledge how important the Father Alfred Center participants are to JEVA. Father Alfred Center participants speak with each of our student volunteer groups, sharing their personal stories about addiction and recovery. By sharing their stories with our volunteers, our Father Alfred Center participants are educators. Their stories are often painful; however, one person’s story of addiction and recovery, painful as it may be, is a great gift to our volunteers.

Hearing a personal story gives our student volunteers a chance to understand some of the social, economic, emotional, and spiritual factors that shape the experience of the disease of addiction. The stories of any of our St. Anthony Foundation guests, though very personal, underscore our common humanity; that is why they are so powerful at breaking stereotypes and at helping people understand a complex social problem.

This month’s graduate did more than just educate our volunteers. He also participated in Hunger Action Day in Sacramento this past spring. In fact, a group of folks from Father Alfred Center joined St. Anthony Foundation staff, volunteers, guests, and other community members for this statewide lobby day aimed at ending hunger.  I reminded our graduate that not only did he use his story to educate our student volunteers, he also educated our elected officials and policy makers in Sacramento.  Father Alfred Center participants described how hunger issues affect people recovering from addiction and called on our lawmakers to support legislation that would allow people in recovery to be able to access anti-hunger programs like Food Stamps.  By being storytellers, our Father Alfred Center participants were teachers and advocates.

Everyone’s story is important because everyone’s life is important.  Sharing our stories with others helps us transcend the sadness, pain and suffering that we have experienced.  But sharing our stories is more than just a cathartic experience:  sharing our stories can help us move toward a more just society!