Christmas Curbside Donation Drive Starts Next Weekend:

Saturday, December 17th – Saturday, December 24th!

St. Anthony’s 24^th Annual Christmas Curbside Donation Drive begins on Saturday, December 17^th. 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.

Your donation of NEW SOCKS, clean and ready-to-wear clothing, canned and dried foods are all much needed and appreciated! And if you’ve been working on hand knit scarves as holiday gifts to our guests, bring them in!

WHEN: December 17th-24th, 2011 – Weekends from 9-3 & Weekdays from 8-6

WHERE: St. Anthony Foundation - 105 Golden Gate @ Jones

NEEDED ITEMS:

Clothing
We need all kinds of clothing for men, women, and children – our most critical needs are for the following items:

Socks, Shoes
Underwear
Winter coats
Jackets
Hats

Monetary Donations

St. Anthony’s is happy to accept cash or checks for donation during Curbside and is prepared to issue receipts onsite for tax purposes.

ITEMS WE CANNOT ACCEPT:

Empty clothes hangers
Knick knacks
Used toys
Children’s car seats
Furniture
Medical equipment
Dirty, stained or torn items
Books and magazines
Exercise/sports equipment
Housewares
Computers, electronics

If you have any questions about donations, please call us at (415) 241-2600.

And in case you’d like to volunteer and join us for the holidays, call the St. Anthony Holiday Line at 415-592-2829. We look forward to seeing you!

We are very close to reaching our goal of 2,500 hand made scarves to give away this Christmas.  If you have sent yours in thank you from the bottom of our hearts and if yours is still on your kitchen table please send it in!

Its a picture of a scarf, certainly not the most interesting picture we have posted here but one full of meaning.  This scarf was knit for us by Bee.  Bee writes to us about the scarf she just finished for St. Anthony’s  “It is only a small contribution to your cause, but I enjoyed knitting it.”

But it is not a small contribution, in fact, it is huge.  Each and every scarf matters very much. A gift made by hand for someone who needs the comfort  it provides brings joy to the creator.  These days when the mail comes here at St. Anthony’s staff often drop by to marvel at your  pattern or colors you used.  Your scarf and the concern for others that you put into concrete action inspire us to continue the work we do here.  We are moved by the outpouring of love from you.  When one of our guests receives your scarf it is the only scarf that truly matters.  Thank you.

Would you like to knit a scarf as a present for one of our guests on Christmas day? Click here to find out how!

Something different is being created in the St. Anthony kettles!  We are well on our way to collecting 2,500 hand knit scarves to give away on Christmas Day to our guests in the Dining Room. Pictured are some beautiful samples received from crafty philanthropists from all over the United States who with each and every scarf knitted are sending our guests care and letting them know that people everywhere care.  We have received just over 1,000 to date so keep them coming!  We need each and every one!

Click here and pledge to knit now!

Today we reached 1,000 scarves today with the arrival of scarves sent by First Presbyterian Church of Burlingame, CA. Thank you, Lynn, and the hundreds of others who have gotten us this far already!

We’re almost half way there to reaching 2,500 hand knitted or crochet scarves to give away to our poor and homeless guests at St. Anthony Dining Room on Christmas Day.

If you’re interested in scarving up a some warmth for your homeless neighbors during the cold San Francisco months, or know someone else who might want to put their crafty skills to altruistic use, please click here!

St. Anthony’s Stitchers, a long time auxilery group of the Free Clothing Program at St. Anthony’s, just donated 500 hand knitted scarves for guests who eat at St. Anthony’s on Christmas Day. That’s 1/5 of our goal, but we’re still a long ways away from having enough to go around.

Interested in knitting or crocheting a scarf for one 2,500 of our homeless neighbors this Holiday Season? Click here to learn more and to pledge how many you think you’ll be able to contribute.

Our latest contribution to St. Anthony’s Scarving Artists is  one from Sally C, Bloomfield, NY. And we’ve had pledges come in from Texas, Virginia, Ohio, and Arizona.  The folks in New Orleans have pitched in because they understand the value of a warm scarf during difficult times.  We have scarves from Pennsylvania, Illinois, and of course many from California. Nine states are represented.  Can we get scarves from all 50 states? Invite all your friends to join our event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=142704175750360

A St. Anthony Scarving Artist Knitter takes a stand against the San Francisco Sit-Lie Ordinance (Prop L)which is on is also known by its supporters as the Civil Sidewalks proposition.

The ordinance would restrict sitting or lying on sidewalks citywide from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Police officers must give a warning before they can give a citation and the ordinance cannot be used to restrict the people’s rights to free speech and peaceful assembly (if they have bought city permits). A single offense will result in \$100 ticket, while subsequent ones may result in 30 days in jail.

However this knitter joins others who believe:

1. That it is always wrong to write laws that criminalize people just for being poor;
2. That it is an especially bad idea when those laws make criminals out of all of us; and
3. That the focus on sit/lie is making it harder for San Franciscans to find out about the real solutions that our
   communities are putting forward

And don’t forget to join us for a “Flash Mob Knit” on Saturday, September 25th promptly at noon —we’ll be there and gone in  a flash! at the Powell St. turn-around—for an adventure in domestic activism!

When we knit together together we can improve the world one scarf at a time. Those who will receive our scarves as gifts will know that there are people in the world who care for others and that love not ignorance trimuphs.

Wow!  So far we have received 660 pledges for hand knit scarves, reaching 26% of our total goal of 2,500.  Great progress!

We have received 251 scarves to date That’s 10%of our goal. Thanks to all you early knitters for getting us off to such a good start.

We welcome these new organizations who have joined the St. Anthony Foundation Scarving Artists project. Thank you!

National Charity League
Bobbin’s Nest Studio
Pearlessence Yarns
SF Renegade Craft Faire

Do you have an organization who would like to participate? Let us know!