Come get your summer season outdoor gear at Sports Basement on Bryant Street this June 16th and support St. Anthony Medical Clinic! From 6-8pm on Thursday, June 16th Sports Basement will be hosting a shopping event for staff and friends of St. Anthony Foundation with special donation and discount rates. Come join us for this event and not only receive 10% off your Sports Basement purchase, but Sports Basement will donate 10% of the proceeds from your purchase to St. Anthony Medical Clinic!

This is a great chance to pick up that new tent, or a much-needed new pair of running shoes, or some new cycling gear! You can save 10% on that equipment purchase you’ve been putting off and donate to St. Anthony Medical Clinic at the same time. Spread the word and bring your friends! More details the week of June 16th…

They may not have won the Kraft Hunger Bowl (Saturday, January 8th, 2011), but Boston College Football Team sure did win the hearts of St. Anthony Foundation guests and staff! 100 + Team members and staff poured into our doors to help serve food to hungry people. Kraft sponsors this post season game, helping to draw attention to the very serious and very real issue of hunger in our country, and to do something about it! Kraft “teamed up” with St. Anthony’s and other social services programs … sending the opposing teams – Boston College Eagles and University of Nevada Wolfpack to volunteer the day before they faced off with each other in the actual game.

Yes, the BC Eagles poured in early Saturday morning: “Little guys in front!” one of the coaching staff called out as they gathered for a photo. “Little guys?” Not!! Big & Bigger, with hearts to match! After an abbreviated orientation given to prepare the team to serve our guests with dignity and respect…the BC players donned our burgundy aprons (looking more like bibs on most of them!!!) and got to work. Coming down the ramp entrance of 45 Jones into the Dining Room—greeted this time not by a stadium of fans but by the community of our Tenderloin brothers and sisters who dine at St. Anthony’s. Like I said, they won our hearts– these gentle giants who served our guests with grace and joy! There were so many wonderful moments, but one of my favorites was when I heard the recognizable and hearty blues of one of our talented diner musicians sailing into the Dining Room from the lobby piano… I went out to look and what do I see but one of the jerseyed players pounding out the soulful jam from the keys with our guest clapping along beside! Back and forth they took turns jammin’…as smiles spread and dancing feet of guests filing in for lunch, kept time…

Two teams: one People, hungry for food, hungry for justice. No spectator sport, this cause: this “Bowl” needs and welcomes all to the table. Our appreciation to Kraft and the teams for fielding the message so beautifully!

While thousands were waiting in anticipation for Sunday’s Kraft Hunger Bowl game at AT&T park, a special pre-game huddle was taking place at St. Anthony Dining Room in San Francisco’s Tenderloin with players from Boston College.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA January 6, 2011 While thousands wait in anticipation for Sunday’s Kraft Hunger Bowl game at AT&T park, a special pre-game huddle will be taking place the day before at St. Anthony Dining Room in San Francisco’s Tenderloin.

Boston College Eagles Players and staffers will be tackling hunger at St. Anthony’s on Saturday as they volunteer to serve meals provided by Kraft Foods to San Francisco’s most vulnerable residents.

“Our Huddle to Fight Hunger game plan is a winner on all fronts. We’re going to deliver much needed meals for our neighbors in need. We helped raise awareness about a serious social issue affecting one in six Americans.” said Stephen Chriss, Senior Director, Corporate Scale & Marketing Partnerships, Kraft Foods North America.

“St. Anthony Foundation is thrilled to be a beneficiary of the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl. At a time when we are seeing increasing numbers of people who simply cannot stretch their dollars to cover food costs, the support and contributions from the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl event is vitally important.” Noted St. Anthony’s Executive Director Shari Roeseler.

St. Anthony Foundation’s programs help heal individuals and families with programs that provide a gateway out of poverty, including a Dining Room which serves 3000 meals every day, a free clothing program, a 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.

This post is from Alvin at St. Anthony’s drug and alcohol recovery program, the Father Alfred Center:

On Wednesday July 14, 2010 the St. Anthony Dinning Room sponsored one of the quarterly outings for the residents of the Father Alfred Center-The All Star Staff and Guest Baseball Playoffs. This year, as in years in the past, the Dining Room staff brought a very delicious meal for all to enjoy during this event, which is usually held in one of the nearby parks.

The staff all-stars started out on fire scoring 4 runs in the first inning showing their competitive side and giving the message’’ that we were here to defend our title’’. In the second inning the residents came back to make it a game by scoring three runs to make the score 4-3. In the third the residents went ahead scoring three more runs to make it 6-4. Then 1 more in the fourth. Down 7-4 in the fourth staff went on a tenacious hitting, fielding and base running display to out last the residents 11-9.

It was a lot of fun, with gratitude held by residents and staff alike. (the Father Alfred Center especially thanks the Dining Room staff for their kindness and generosity in making these events memorable and special).

Go Team!

San Francisco’s own are taking home the cup in this year’s Street Soccer USA games.

The tournament began this past Friday, and brought together 16 teams representing different cities from across the country.

Street Soccer USA is a New York based non-profit assisting those who lack permanent housing through case management of their team players.

Two of the most popular topics for conversation in the St. Anthony Foundation Dining Room are sports and politics. Today’s blog entry on the state budget will capture that spirit, because the easiest way to understand what’s happening with the state budget negotiations is to compare them to a football game.

This week, the Democrats threw two incomplete passes: one Wednesday (with a vote on alternate cuts package that failed) and one Thursday (with a vote on cash flow bills that failed). This means that we have returned to the line of scrimmage: advocates for social and health services have neither gained nor lost ground, but we have lost two precious days of negotiations.

Senate leader Darrell Steinberg gave a hint at the behind the scenes demands by the Governor and the Republicans when he stated,

“We don’t take pledges in our caucus like some do but if we did it would sound like this: We are not going to eliminate CalWORKs, we are not to eliminate Healthy Families, we are not going to eliminate IHSS and and we are not going to eliminate CalGrants. We are not going to eliminate the safety net. You need to know where we are not going to go.”

What does this mean for advocates who want to take action against harmful cuts to health and social service programs? As the legislature returns to square one (or third down, or whatever), so must we! We need to make calls, calls, calls!

This weekend, call your legislators and the Governor and tell them that you support a budget that uses revenue enhancement measures to mitigate the worst of the proposed cuts to the safety net. This information sheet makes it easy to know who to contact, and what type of message needs to be delivierd to particular legislators.

Let’s set aside a few minutes this weekend to call our state leaders and tell them some decisions are inconceivable when measured against the human toll left in their wake.

Our longtime volunteer and dear friend, Jewel Ramsey, died a couple of  weeks ago. Ramsey, as he preferred to be known, was a stroke victim who simply refused to be put on the shelf. For many years, in spite of his paralysis, he was the energetic, enthusiastic, cheerful semi-official paper shredder and recycler for most of the work units at 121 Golden Gate. His obsession with the Oakland Raiders and his annual, repeated reminders that his birthday was approaching were part of the charm that endeared him to all of us.

Two years ago, when Ramsey didn’t show up to volunteer, two St. Anthony’s employees went to check on him, around the corner at Civic Center Residence (44 McAllister). They found him leveled by a new and devastating stroke. It erased most of his memory, including that of his favorite black & silver-clad football team across the Bay. After some weeks at SF General, Ramsey was transferred to a great residential care facility (Victorian Manor at 1444 McAllister). When we would visit him there, it was a challenge for him to remember who we were. But we were all relieved to observe what great care he was receiving, and that no stroke could squelch his sunny disposition.

So . one final reminder. RAMSEY’S BIRTHDAY IS COMING UP, two weeks from today on Friday, March 27th. We’ll remember him and celebrate the way we used to, with a Ramsey Birthday Breakfast. (Details to follow.) As Ramsey would have said: “You know it! You know it!”

“That’s what I’m talkin’ about!” And, “Fitz, that’s cold!”

As you know, St. Anthony’s is renowned for our holistic network of services providing free food, housing, clothing, medical care, and other vital resources to those in need. Soon we’ll be renowned for one more thing: soccer! That’s right, St. Anthony’s new soccer team–the Bad Habits–has just kicked off its first season with a bang. Each monday, we bring together all of your favorite St. Anthony’s staff for an evening of rip-roaring soccer excitement. Ever wonder how a grantwriter fares on the soccer field? Come by and see for yourself!

Where: Silver Terrace Playground – At the intersection of Silver and Bayshore
map

When:
Monday 10/13/08, 8:20pm vs. the Slicks
Monday 10/20/08, 6:20pm vs. FC 3300
Monday 10/27/08, 8:20pm vs. the Flying Pigs
Monday 11/03/08, 6:30pm vs. Chocolate Salt
Monday 11/10/08, 7:25pm vs. Phoenix FC

Hope to see you there!!!