Today I stood on the sidewalk at lunch (I was tempted actually to sit/lie down but I suppose that is another issue entirely) and allowed myself to admire the resiliency of those members of the Tenderloin community who offer St. Anthony’s the privilege of serving them. At its peak, our Dining Room lunch line extended down Golden Gate Avenue past Leavenworth Street. Those of you who have been here before can likely appreciate the magnitude of that. The number of people, hungry, waiting patiently for their first (if not only) meal of the day, was inconceivable.

At that moment, I was instantly reminded of a conversation I had with a friend earlier this week. She had a visitor in town last weekend and decided to show her one of San Francisco’s great brunch spots. They waited 1 ½ hours to get into the restaurant, all the while chatting with strangers in line and enjoying the sunshine. Not entirely, unlike the experience of many of our guests on most days of the month, right?

In some respects it is exactly the same and demonstrates the point that poor people are not the only ones who wait for food. However, in MANY ways, it is entirely different. My friend waited in line because she wanted to; because she chose to, because she heard that the food was great and worth the wait. She could have chosen any one of a thousand other breakfast options that day. Perhaps had it not been for a rare, cloudless sky that day, she would have. She also knew that upon entering the restaurant, she would be provided a menu with countless items from which to choose and bottomless cups of coffee. These are all luxuries that many of our guests do not share: the inherent luxury of choice. Our guests stand in line for infinite amounts of time precisely because of a lack of choice.

Today, St. Anthony’s proved to be the only option for nearly 2000 hungry folks.

OK, I can’t say this strongly enough- if you haven’t had a chance to eat at Mission Street Food on Thursday or Saturdays, do it. Yes, there are lots of other folks who are charmed by love of the delicious food that supports non profits, so you may have to wait a bit, but trust me, its worth it. And I’m not just saying that because MSF just donated $564 to St. Anthony’s from their Thursday night meal. Its that I love the epicurian mojo that Chefepreneur Anthony Myint brings to the table, along with guest chefs like Chris Kronner, who created delicious and amazing appetizers for St. Anthony’s green building dedication last October (and also made an all night cameo at MSF on Thursday).

Every day I am reminded how important community is, for everyone. Besides the static community, the folks that help define your neighborhood or social groups, the folks that we visually or socially regard as being “like me”, there is the fluid community. The folks that could be pinch hitters or extended acquaintances, from one or six degrees of separation, but who contribute in almost seamless ways to your life. The community of give and take, of sharing resources, of supporting and being supported, in an invisible web rather than a tangible lifeline.

On Saturday I went to have dinner at Mission Street Foods, the innovative restaurant that happens twice a week in the Mission. Every night they donate the restaurant profits to a non profit, and on Saturday St. Anthony’s was the appreciative recipient.

The food was delicious – I had a broccoli rabe and avocado rice bowl that was sublime, and velvety mushroom dumplings in a vegan broth that had the elegance and simplicity of a perfect pearl. I had never met Anthony or Karen before, but hungrily stabbing a piece of brocolli rabe with my fork, I felt really appreciative of their vision. A handful of folks I know had dinner there to support St. Anthony’s. When we conferred later, we all agreed how good it felt to support a place that was making an effort to support food related non-profits while serving fantastic food.

These are the times to pool our resources, strengthen our connections, and support the folks we feel like are making a difference. Mission Street Food made that really easy.

This Saturday, February 28th, Mission Street Foods at 2234 Mission Street will be donating their profits to St. Anthony Dining Room.

Find out more at the Mission Street Foods’ website.