It has been a little over a month since Matt Cain pitched the first perfect game in Giants franchise history.  The perfect game is possibly the most dramatic, intense and rare feat in all of sports.  What makes it so special?  Why is it so captivating?  Well, simply put: everyone has to be perfect.  There’s no second chance, no allowance for a mistake.  The pitcher, and his entire team, must do everything right.  No hits.  No walks.  No errors.  It’s nearly impossible.  And this is why we are fascinated.  Accomplishing what is nearly impossible makes us feel super human.  It makes us hopeful.  It reminds us we are equipped with talent and skill and connectivity that can conquer fear and uncertainty and failure.  What’s more is that the perfect game starts just as every other ordinary game – with a first pitch.  The 42,000 plus fans at the ballpark that Tuesday were probably planning to see a good game.  With a pitcher like Cain, they might have been anticipating a great game.  But it’s safe to say that no one expected to witness perfection on that night.

A month later, almost every day since, I have thought about that perfect game.  I find myself asking the same questions: What does perfection mean at St. Anthony’s?  How do we pitch a perfect game?  Would perfection be the Dining Room serving 3,000 meals with no health emergencies and no incidents?  Or would perfect be shutting the Dining Room down for a day because no one in San Francisco was hungry or without food?  Is perfect Father Alfred Center graduating a complete class of men every month or is perfection the disappearance of dealers on our corners and the temptation of liquor in our stores?

Maybe perfection is none of these.  Maybe perfection is walking with a diabetic patient and sharing your favorite healthy recipe with her.  Maybe perfection is an almost new pair of shoes that can be worn to a job interview.  Maybe perfection is being able to offer a veggie tray to a guest that doesn’t eat meat.  Maybe perfection is a smile and eye contact that shows respect and warmth.  Perfection is found most often in the little things.

We start every day with one pitch.  Each day seemingly as ordinary as the one before it.  But then something magical happens.  And I feel like I witness perfection every day.  Our staff.  Our volunteers.  Our guests.  We all back each other up.  We are connected in a way that is dramatic and rare.  The difference between baseball’s perfect game and ours is that we are full of second chances.  And when mistakes are made, our team does more than catch a deep fly ball or turn a crafty double play.  We make it better by putting the ball back in the hands of our guests.  We empower them and they inspire us to continue playing until the last out.

We know we are not superhuman.  But working together to do the little things well and the big things even better makes us hopeful.  We are reminded that not only is our community equipped with talent and skill and connectivity to conquer fear, uncertainty and failure – we are blessed with hearts full of passion.

Offense scores runs.  Defense wins games.  Passion drives perfection.  Matt Cain pitched a passionate 9 innings of perfection and his team passionately backed him up, giving The City joy overflowing.  With our hearts full of passion, St. Anthony’s aims to give the same to our guests.  Is it easy to be perfect?  No way!  Can we start each day with one pitch and give it a try?  Yes we Cain!

Play ball!

Celina Sutton is the Group Volunteer and Internship Program Coordinator and a huge San Franicsco sports fan.

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.

Take me out to the ball game…to help build The New St. Anthony’s Dining Room.  Mark your calendars for St. Anthony’s big debut with the San Francisco Giants on April 27^th.  Our very own 2010 World Series Champions will take a swing to strike out hunger and inspire 44,000 Giants fans to be a part of the Miracle on Jones Street.  Shari Roeseler, our Executive Director, will join a team of supporters from St. Anthony’s and the Giants for our first ever Home Plate Ceremony.

Tickets for the game against the San Diego Padres are sold out, but that doesn’t mean you can’t come down to 2^nd and King and enjoy the fun.  MoMo’s Restaurant, the proud sponsors of our 35^th Annual Penny Pitch, invite all St. Anthony supporters to watch this exciting game among friends.  We’re over 80% of the way to reaching our fundraising goal.  With the faithful support of the Giants, MoMo’s, and you, we’re rounding 3^rd and heading home to ensure millions of San Franciscans always have a place to turn to in a time of need.

A standing ovation from  guests and volunteers marked the final meal served from St. Anthony’s original Dining Room last Wednesday, February 1^st.   The San Francisco community rose to the occasion to mark this historic event.  Guests shared stories of life-saving moments they had experienced within these walls.  Volunteers described relationships they had formed in the Dining Room that allowed them to rediscover their faith in making the world a better place.

Mayor Ed Lee recognized St. Anthony’s as a pillar of hope and compassion in San Francisco, and Larry Baer, the President of the Giants, punctuated the significance of the day by stating, “People say that 3^rd and King [home of the San Francisco Giants at AT & T Park] is the most important intersection in San Francisco. I’ve got to say Jones and Golden Gate is the most important intersection in the city of San Francisco.”

For nearly 62 years, the words of our Founder Fr. Alfred Boeddeker have graced people as they enter St. Anthony’s original Dining Room:  “I see God as one act:  Loving like the sun always shining.”  These words, no less important today as they were on October 4^th, 1950, shone through the smiles and tears of all of us who insure The Miracle on Jones Street continues.

Giants first baseman Aubrey Huff flies back to San Francisco on Tuesday morning and what’s the first thing he does after he lands? He comes straight to St. Anthony Dining Room to volunteer.

Sure, we love that they won the World Series this year, but we have always and will continue to love them because they take the time to support the community they represent out on the field.

Thanks for helping out this week, Aubrey! We look forward to seeing you again soon!

We tell our daily group volunteers (our regular individuals know from experience) that a lunch conversation in the Dining Room with our guests is more often about topics such as weather, the menu, and sports than it is a deep exploration of “the meaning of life”. In fact, these accessible, everyday kinds of topics are often the very best means to revealing genuine connection between folks, “turning the tables” so to speak on preconceived notions of “them” and “us”.

Well, since last week, sports and the meaning of life are one in the same genre!!! We’re talkin’ GIANTS, sports fans!!!! For example, on Thurs, 10/7 when I went into the Dining Room to retrieve the high school group volunteers, I found them engaged in excited conversation with our guests at various tables in the room about – what? You guessed it!!! At one table, a guest was quizzing the students about their baseball knowledge: hands down, they scored with every answer! Our guest was impressed, saying with a big smile: “I think you all know more about this than me!!!” At another table, one of our guests had the marvelous fortune to be going to the evening game: the high school students were thrilled for him, and more than a little envious! And of course, GIANTS gear has been even more evident than usual across the board—among guests, volunteers, staff. . . all manner and style of t-shirts, hats, jewelry, are the wardrobe of this wonderful San Francisco moment.

So, what does this have to do with serving people in need? Everything—it is a beautiful, living example of the climate of dignity and respect that St. Anthony’s believes in and tries to embody. It’s the nourishing kind of menu that our founder—Fr. Alfred Boedekker intended: nourishment for the body and for the spirit—the spirit of belonging, of inclusive community.

We are being tested however, on our commitment to our Franciscan values during this Play Off Season! We remain dedicated to welcoming all who come to us—even it they, ahem, might be fans of the “other” team!!!

Go GIANTS!!!

San Francisco Giants Pitcher and St. Anthony Foundation supporter Barry Zito stopped by St. Anthony’s today and took some time to volunteer serving trays at St. Anthony Dining Room.

Thanks again, Barry!

Former San Francisco Giants pitcher Frank Williams died last week at the age of 50 from a heart attack.

In his prime Williams appeared in 333 games in the majors. He was 24-14 and 3.00 ERA during the span of his career.

In the later part of his life Frank, a man suffering with the disease of alcoholism, was appearing in homeless shelters and detox centers across the the United States and Canada.

A sad reminder that not even our heroes are immune to homelessness.

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!