I’ve always thought it peculiar how the simplest item can take on meaning beyond its practical use. A diamond ring can represent decades of commitment or a worn stuffed teddy bear can remind one of those precious years of adolescence. But this story revolves around a simple white pair of sneakers, and what they meant to a woman by the name of Mary Helen Douglas.

Mary hails from the town of Petaluma, a land known for its picturesque river, quaint architecture, butter and eggs parade, and famed World’s Ugliest Dog competition. Her parents suffered from addictive illness for the majority of their lives, and thus growing up Mary lacked supervision and support that a parental figure provides for a child. She would often have to find her own food, cook her own meals, and find her way around the town. So at the fledgling age of nineteen, Mary left for San Francisco. There she found a man who supported her, and she had high hopes for a future filled with change and prosperity. Although as she would discover, her plan would not become a reality.

Unable to find work, her bank account eventually dwindled into the red. Along with her husband, she eventually ended up on the streets, living periodically in and out of shelters. At the time they both found escape and numbed themselves through the use of drugs and alcohol. They went on like this for some time. Then, in the winter of 2005, all she loved slipped away from her. In a single week, her husband passed away from heart failure and all of her belongings were stolen at a shelter she was residing at for the week. In addition to all this, she was utterly broke, not even possessing a pair of shoes on her feet to warm her in the customary San Francisco misty cold.

Mary continued to find escape through substances, to numb the gaping holes in her life. She recalled that one night, the drugs had a terrible suicidal effect on her. During a bad trip, she had attempted to throw herself off of a seven story balcony. The sole reason she survived was through a friend’s intervention, yanking her back as she scrambled to throw herself over the side of the railing. This scared her beyond words, for not once had she ever even possessed a suicidal thought. She realized the drugs were changing her, morphing her into a stranger even to herself. She was taken to a doctor, and as he peered at her test results with dismal scrutiny, Mary was convinced of one fact: she would not be alive much longer living like this.

Observing Mary’s current predicament, a friend had told her of a program that could help: St. Anthony’s Free Clothing Program. She was skeptical having been to other assistance programs before, but decided to go anyways, her cold bare feet driving her to walk faster to Mission and 8th. When she entered the Free Clothing Program’s building, she was greeted by a man named Marcellus. His first question was a simple one, “What is your name?” She had participated in many other programs before and gone through information gathering processes almost identical to this one. Although this time she said it was different. Marcellus had locked his gaze with hers, and when he asked what her name was she felt as though he really cared. She was not just another number or random recipient of free goods. She said that even to this day he has never failed to greet her by her name. She was given all the clothing she needed: shirts, sweaters, pants, and socks. But the article of clothing that struck her the most was the pair of sneakers. When she fastened the laces, for the first time in a very long while, she felt her frigid toes started to relax. Walking no longer was a painful task, and strolling down the sidewalk in the shade of the high rises she was humbled by the comfort she had not felt in such a long while. She felt as though something about the program was changing her, if only just a bit. This measly pair of shoes gave her faith that all was not really lost, and for the first time in a very long time, she had hope.

While waiting outside of the Free Clothing Program building one day, a man approached some of the ladies waiting alongside her. He was acting outlandishly, yelling gibberish at some of the women without a discernable cause. She knew that the man was under the influence of drugs. And all of a sudden she saw her future–the drugs and the crazy behaviour that would ensue. This was not the future she wanted at all, and in that moment she found her strength again. She approached the man and in a way that only Mary Helen Douglas could, lectured him, calmed him down, and he eventually apologized to all the women.

Right then she knew that she had to change; that her life was not lost. She was referred to a couple rehabilitation centers by the staff and her road to recovery began. Looking back, those sneakers, given to warm her feet on those chilly nights, incited a change that would end up saving Mary’s life. So perhaps the next time you peer down at your feet, you can remember Mary and how something as simple as an old pair of shoes can mean salvation for another.

Tyler Merkel is a Communications & Outreach intern at St. Anthony Foundation

St. Anthony Foundation, our Board of Trustees and our Board of Directors are pleased to announce the appointment of Barry J. Stenger as our Executive Director. In St. Anthony’s 63 year history of serving the poor and low income of San Francisco, Barry is the seventh person to lead the organization.

Barry has over twenty years of nonprofit management experience. He has been St. Anthony’s Director of Development for the past eight years. He holds a Ph.D. in social ethics from the University of Chicago, taught at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley and Santa Clara University, and has contributed to the work of the Franciscans on the west coast in a variety of capacities.

When asked what he’s excited about in assuming these responsibilities, Barry said that he believes “St . Anthony’s is poised to enter a new and dynamic phase of its service to the community: we’re building a new Dining Room; we’re reaching out to new generations of San Franciscans who want to be involved in our work; and we’re focusing on new metrics to measure the life-changing outcomes for the guests we serve.”

As a volunteer behind the counter of St. Anthony’s Dining Room, Peter Wenner noticed a disturbing shift. “I saw that more and more of our guests had recently fallen out of the middle class,” he said.  “There were lots of people in the Dining Room line who had lost their jobs because of the economy.”

Serving meals to people who looked more and more like him reminded Wenner of the fragility of financial security during a down economy and of his own good fortune in having steady employment for 13 years.

In 2006, the Pete and his wife Maria decided that creating a living trust best suited their planned giving needs. Having no heirs, they decided to select as beneficiaries of their estate organizations that help those suffering through hard times. 

Peter favors organizations that deal with fundamental needs.  “As times get worse, I like to support causes that meet the basics such as shelter and nutrition,” he explained.  “My heart goes out to the homeless and hungry.”  Along with St. Anthony’s, beneficiaries of their estate include Meals on Wheels, Project Open Hand, and Glide Memorial among others.

Maria also admires St. Anthony programs that help people leave the food line.  “I love the computer-training and job-training programs at St. Anthony’s,” she said.  Born in Hong Kong, she’s lived in San Francisco since she was eight. “I’ve seen the city change over the years and don’t remember so much homelessness.”

And, she adds, “It doesn’t take a lot to help someone, to put a smile on someone’s face.  St Anthony’s serves that purpose, and does it very well.” 

St. Anthony Foundation is honored to have Maria and Peter Wenner as members of our Legacy Circle.  For information about Planned Giving and becoming a Legacy Circle member like Maria and Peter, please contact Lourdes Tanedo at415-592-2858.

When I first passed through the doors of St. Boniface, I was awestruck with beauty. In every possible direction were ornate stained glass windows, towering marble columns, and sacred relics. All of this illuminated by hundreds of meticulously arranged candles. Yet these weren’t the captivating sights which left me utterly speechless. Honestly, these adornments paled in comparison to one sight which possessed a simple but staggering beauty: the congregate of the homeless peacefully slumbering in the pews.

From 6 a.m to 1 in the afternoon, those who enter the Tenderloin may find refuge in St. Boniface during the daytime hours. Here in these 76 aged wooden pews, those who face the perils of homelessness may finally experience hours of undisturbed sleep. The plain fact is the houseless are often denied rest on a regular basis. This is partly due to the city’s recent ban forbidding individuals to sleep or lay in public walkways, along with many shelters shutting their doors in the daytime.

The Gubbio Project, which started up in the Spring of 2004, seeks to provide the necessity of sleep to those in need. In addition to providing shelter, they distribute blankets, serve food on special days, and offer use of clean restrooms.

Laura Slattery, executive director of the project, spoke with me about our homeless neighbors and the project’s simple mission to care for them. The Gubbio Project’s mission is quite simple,  to do away with one more challenge which the homelss must face- and to bring them peaceful rest in this chaotic world.

Many have wondered why these people have coped with their trauma through substance abuse or apparent self-destructive behaviour. Although Laura Slattery would say you must alter your line of thought and realize this, “We should forget about questioning why the homeless have dealt with life in this way, but rather realize after all they have gone through and seen- what a true miracle it is that they are still here”.

In my wanderings around the church, I visited with a woman by the name of Ivy, a self-proclaimed regular. She lamented on how utterly worn she was from tumultuous events in her life as of late. With every step forward to a better life, the loss of a potential job, depression and struggles with addiction took her back to the starting point. As our conversation was approaching it’s end, she cast a smile upward to the magnificently painted ceiling, and in one perfect moment made all the work of the Gubbio Project worth it, “Despite everything, this is the one place I really have peace”.

Tyler Merkel is a Communications & Digital Media intern at St. Anthony’s

Believe it or not, there are women in our own community who do not have access to feminine hygiene products.

Take a moment. Consider what your life would be like without hygiene products?  Unimaginable, right? Poverty has turned what should be considered as a right for women—access to feminine hygiene products—into a privilege available only to those who can afford it.

Luckily, with your help, we can change that. Now is the time to help our fellow women who don’t have access to critical hygiene items and give to the St. Anthony’s Feminine Hygiene Drive.

When:

Drop off your donation on March 8^th , International Women’s Day, anytime from 3:00-5:00 and meet the other members of this generous community.

What: sanitary napkins and tampons

Where: Can’t make the March 8th drop off? Deliver or mail any time to St. Anthony Foundation, Attn: St. Anthony Women, 150 Golden Gate Ave., San Francisco CA 94102

How: Next time you are buying for yourself, pick up a package for a woman who doesn’t have them.  Get together with your friends, classmates, co-workers. Join the conversation on Twitter (#TsanitaryTsunami) or share the message on Facebook and let’s take care of business.

Guest blogger Maura Hurley is a St. Anthony’s volunteer.

The sky was cloudy, but the day was joyous on Golden Gate Avenue as San Francisco notables and a host of other visitors and guests celebrated the groundbreaking of the long-awaited new building on Jones Street that will house a larger St. Anthony’s Dining Room and 90 units of affordable housing for low-income senior citizens.

Among the dignitaries: Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, Mayor Ed Lee, Police Chief Greg Suhr, Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White and S.F. Giants mascot Lou Seal.

The a cappella Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir entertained the crowd with a rousing rendition of “God is Great.” And Tammy Nelson from the cast of “Beach Blanket Babylon.” dressed in her pizza delivery outfit, sang “San Francisco” (open up your Golden Gate) as the crowd cheered.

The groundbreaking itself–at the bottom of the construction site — featured dignitaries wielding gold-colored shovels and an interfaith blessing.

Three representatives of the Sikh community in Fremont took BART to the City to attend the event. Balbir Sull, Avtar Kaur and Nirmal Singh Chemma said that their community has been donating new blankets to St. Anthony’s for 16 years.

Stephen Russell, a prep chef at St. Anthony’s, was there, too. “It’s a good feeling to be part of something that a lot of people will make use of,” he said.

Jill Lonergan, marketing manager at Nibbi Construction, the company constructing the new building, said that when she heard the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir would be performing she decided to come. But then said she would have come anyway to be part of the event.

Sergio Nibbi, whose father started the construction company and whose sons now run it, said that his relationship with St. Anthony’s goes back many years. “When you wanted to make a donation, you made it to them. It was automatic when I was growing up,” he said.  Today, he added, “St. Anthony’s gets a special rate but we get it back many times over in blessings.”

Rochelle Fort, a social worker at the nearby Mercy family housing apartments, said that she was excited about the new building and thought that some of the seniors in her building would want to move there. “There just isn’t enough housing now for seniors” she said.

Robert Harrell (pictured left), who has kept St. Anthony’s guests, visitors and employees safe for nine years as a staff member of Client Safety Services, summed up the day. “We’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time. Now let the show begin.”

Each day as our guests arrive in our dining room, they are greeted warmly by our volunteer Daughter of Charity, Sr. Agnes. One of the first to arrive is usually a family whose infant son, Caleb, is a favorite of many of our staff and volunteers. Last week Sr. Agnes scooped Caleb out of his stroller as he came in and together they greeted the rest of our guests.  Sr. Agnes received many delighted smiles from our guests that morning, plus a few jealous glances from some staff!

One of the popular images during the holiday season is that of “a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner” known as Ebenezer Scrooge from the classic holiday novel A Christmas Carol.  Are you familiar with the cold-hearted, tight-fisted and greedy man, who despises Christmas and all things which give people happiness? 

During the holidays at St. Anthony’s we experience something quite different from that “Bah, humbug.”  Here we experience the great joy and generosity that so many people want to share with others, especially with those that are in need. 

One of the most financially wise ways to give to St. Anthony’s at the holidays is through the transfer of stocks.  Especially at the end of the year, people like you may want to consider how stocks, bonds or any other securities can be transferred as gifts to St. Anthony’s.

Making a gift of securities is simple and offers you valuable financial benefits like:

• You can donate appreciated stocks, bonds or mutual funds
• The total value of the stock upon transfer is tax-deductible
• And there is no obligation to pay any capital gains taxes on the appreciation of your stock

But beyond the gift, you are helping our guests and clients transform their lives, just as Ebenezer Scrooge evolved into a changed character. 

For more information about how you can change lives by transferring securities, please contact St. Anthony Foundation at 415.592.2858 or via email.

If you are not sure you want to give a gift of stock? Please consider making a one-time-gift to St. Anthony Foundation this holiday season!