The Father Alfred Center is St. Anthony’s free residential drug and alcohol rehabilitation program.  Last Thursday, the residents and staff of Fr. Alfred Center allowed me to come to their house meeting to speak about AB 828 (The Nutritional Assistance for Families Act).  This legislation is sponsored by Oakland Assembly Member Sandre’ Swanson and is supported by anti-hunger organizations and advocates from across California.

Through this bill, California would “opt out” of the lifetime federal ban on CalFresh (the new name for California’s food stamp program) for people with prior low-level drug convictions.  Thirty-seven states and the District of Columbia have already restored nutrition benefits to this vulnerable population.

I used my visit to the Fr. Alfred Center house meeting as an opportunity to tell the program participants about AB 828.  I told them that AB 828 is going to be heard by the Assembly Human Services Committee on Tuesday April 5, and the bill needs support from the community in order to make it through the legislative process.  Today, I received the most wonderful gift that the St. Anthony’s Advocacy Coordinator could ever get: an interoffice envelope filled with hand-written support letters for AB 828 from our Fr. Alfred Center participants!

Next Tuesday, April 5, 2011, I will travel to Sacramento with four of our Fr. Alfred Center participants to tell the Assembly Human Services Committee that we support AB 828.  While we’re there, we’ll hand-deliver all of the AB 828 support letters that we’ve received.

If you’d like to lend your voice of support for AB 828 and for the other anti-hunger bills being heard by the Assembly Human Services Committee on April 5, please visit our advocacy alert page, where we have an easy to use customizable letter that can be automatically emailed to the members of the committee. (more…)

St Anthony Dining Room staff is sponsoring a baseball game & Cookout on May 12 for the Father Alfred Center Residents as a way to thank them for their volunteer service at the Dining Room.

This event gives residents at Father Alfred Center, St. Anthony’s drug and alcohol treatment program, a chance to socialize not only with the staff, but also with each other.  Sometimes our residents have a tendency to feel confined by the routine of their day.  The game gives them a chance to get away from that routine and interact with each other & staff in a unique setting.

When asked his opinion Charles Sommer told me, “Each quarter we like to do something nice for the guys.  They work very hard down here at the Dining Room every day.  This gives us a chance to hang around with them in a different setting and have fun.”

A baseball game between St Anthony Staff & Father Alfred Center residents is the focal point of the event. Staff from Father Alfred Center & the St Anthony Dining Room are joined by colleagues from the Social Work Center & Tenderloin Tech Lab for the game.

The great food and competition with staff are something the Father Alfred Center residents look forward to.  So far the staff team is undefeated.  Will this remain the case?  Only time will tell.

With the convention behind us I wanted to take a moment to look back and get the perspective of the Father Alfred Center staff who attended the Convention.

Administrative Coordinator Raynette Page Johnson says:

“I had the privilege and honor to greet our clients at the Northern California Convention of Narcotics Anonymous XXXII in Santa Clara, California.  Forty six  residents of Father Alfred Center attended.  We were in the company of thousands of recovering addicts from all over California and other states.  The Northern California Convention of Narcotics is the largest convention in California. The first convention was formed in 1979 in San Jose California.  There were approximately 350 recovering addicts in attendance.  This celebration of unity, simply known at NCCNA, now hosts between 6,000 to 8,000 recovering addicts annually.”

Manager Michael Hurd writes in:

“It is an awesome opportunity for Father Alfred Center residents to experience a NA Convention. I think it is surreal to imagine over 5,000 recovering addicts in one place at one time from all different cultures, races, backgrounds, beliefs to gather together for one common goal ,that goal being to help the addict who wants to recover is unimaginable until they see it. Then I think there can be a physic change where they can really start to believe that being clean for them is possible. I witnessed the stoic glow in several of our residents at the convention there expressions said it all. For me to witness the joy, hope and relief I see in the faces of our Father Alfred Center residents is priceless! I look forward to exposing new residents to this awesome experience again next year.”

Reality Is That Donation Are Still Needed

SAN FRANCISCO, CA December 18th, 2008 St. Anthony’s is still glowing from the gift of $35,000 and set of new Technology Lab computer monitors from Gurbaksh Chahal, “secret millionaire”, as recently featured on Fox network’s new reality show by the same name. But with December marking the highest one-week filing rate of unemployment claims in the last 26-years, and the temperature dropping daily, St. Anthony’s is still stretching to meet the demand of those seeking food, warm clothing, and medical care.

To help meet the need, St. Anthony’s is preparing for its 21st anniversary of St. Anthony’s Curbside Holiday Drive. St. Anthony Foundation staff and volunteers, wearing easily identifiable red jackets, will take delivery of food, clothing, and monetary donations at curbside, so donors won’t even have to leave their cars. Donated items are distributed free of charge to San Francisco’s most needy residents.

“Whether you drive a Lamborghini or a Toyota, donations are critical to meeting the need this holiday season. In November we served 14% more meals in our Dining Room than November of  last year. We have 40% more people coming to our Free Medical Clinic than this time last year. And our Clothing Program has been unable to serve all the families that are coming to us for warm clothing,” noted St. Anthony Foundation Executive Director Fr. John Hardin.

St. Anthony Foundation’s programs help heal individuals and families by providing a gateway for solutions to poverty, including a Dining Room which serves 2600 meals every day, a free Clothing and Housewares program, an Employment Program/ Technology Lab,  Residential Drug and Alcohol Recovery Program, and a Free Medical Clinic. St. Anthony Foundation does not accept any federal, state, or local government money for its programs, and is entirely funded by private donations.