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.”

Meet Marcellus. He is an intelligent, personable and rather funny young man, and he’s looking for a job. Marcellus called us at 9:30 in the morning because he had a job interview at Loew’s at 12:30 and desperately needed a new suit. He had tried everywhere he could think of with no success. Finally he googled ‘free clothing’ and found us. We told him to get over here as fast as he could. Luckily, he was already on the way.

Last month, the Free Clothing Program partnered with A Miner Miracle, so we are now able to offer our male guests brand new job interview clothing. For those of you who are not familiar with A Miner Miracle, it is a San Francisco based non-profit that has been providing professional clothing and image counseling to low-income men, women and young adults seeking employment since 1995. It is the creation of Kathy Miner and has been responsible for assisting more than 13,000 individuals in their quest to re-enter the workforce. Unfortunately, the men’s program was forced to close its doors last year. The work Ms. Miner and A Miner Miracle had done is integral to the stability of the men and women they served, which included many of the residents of St. Anthony’s drug and alcohol recovery program, Father Alfred Center. So we here at the Free Clothing Program are very proud to carry on Kathy Miner’s legacy.

When I met Marcellus for the first time this morning, he was wearing a sport coat, jeans and sneakers, and I’m guessing he had spent the morning and the night before wondering how he would explain such a thing to a perspective employer. When I took him to see the clothes, he looked at me and said, with a smile on his face, “I had a feeling about this morning.”

It took about a half an hour to find him the perfect jacket. Then a brand new pair of shoes, new pants, new shirts and a black tie. The only sticking point was the belt. We literally only had one men’s belt in stock and it was a size too small. A Miner Miracle is provided a limited supply of new clothing by some very generous corporate donors; however, there are still some things, like belts and dress socks, which we rely solely on individual donations to provide. So Marcellus had to make the best with the belt we had.

Belt issues aside, Marcellus looked like a different man by the time he emerged in his new clothes. Bubbling with enthusiasm, that same big smile on his face, he left the Free Clothing Program with ‘Good lucks’ and handshakes from the entire staff. I made him promise to let us know what happened later and told him that once he got the job, he should come back for some career clothing. With a profuse amount of thank yous, Marcellus walked away, confident and capable and happy.

Thank you to Kathy Miner and A Miner Miracle for making this possible. And thank you to whoever donated a size 38 reversible black and brown leather belt. It certainly went to good use. Please keep them coming!

Ah, ah, ah, ah, staying alive, staying alive…

A life saving song that was suggested we sing if we ever need to do  CPR.  Why?  The beat to this classic 70’s Bee Gees song is just about the perfect tempo to do chest compressions while performing this life-saving  technique.

Over 55 % of St. Anthony’ staff is certified for CPR and 1^st Aid.  Almost everyday we experience health emergencies in our service programs at the Foundation – seizures, heart problems, overdose, reaction to medication, fainting,  etc.  Because of the professional  trainings we receive our staff know how to recognize and react to these emergencies, so that  while we are waiting for EMT to arrive we can respond appropriately to the emergency at hand.

About every two years our staff gets professional training from a fabulous instructor–Louise Natoli, CMA, RCT–who has been training us for over 12 years.  Every time she visits the Foundation she tells me that she is admires the work we do serving the very poor and  needy in the Tenderloin, and that that is why she likes coming to St. Anthony’s.  When we call on Louise she laboriously and lovingly drags the CPR dummies, booklets, lap top and monitor, bandages,  gauze,  practice AED’s out of her car,  to the Foundation  and sets up  the classroom in whatever conference room or office space we have available.  She is always accommodating and flexible with setting up trainings and making quick changes to the schedule  because she understands  the urgent matters that can happen in an instant for staff . During a break on her last training visit I told her that almost everyday we use the skills that she has taught us and we probably have helped to save  a life here and there.  She smiled and nodded yes as we both listened to the sound of a siren heading down Golden Gate Ave.

“Charity depends on the vicissitudes of whim and personal wealth; justice depends on commitment instead of circumstance. Faith-based charity provides crumbs from the table; faith-based justice offers a place at the table.” (Bill Moyers)

At the Tenderloin Technology Lab (TTL), are we offering charity or working for social justice and perhaps more importantly, does it matter? As a Jesuit Volunteer, I have spent a lot of time thinking and learning about social justice issues, spirituality, and the importance of service. For me the distinction between charity and social justice is clear. Talking with Alfred (pictured at left), I realized that the distinction between the two is not necessarily as apparent to others.

Alfred started coming to the TTL to use the drop-in lab in September. He had very little access and exposure to computers prior to that. Coming from South Sudan, where computers are not as integrated into everyday life and practice, Alfred had not received computer training  nor had he had many opportunities to practice using them. At first, he did not consider enrolling in the classes. He only came to the TTL to read the news so that he could, “know how the world is going about.”

In November, Alfred took our Basic Computer Skills Course (BCS).  He was planning to enroll in college, yet after coming to the TTL, he realized that it would be difficult without computer skills so he decided to take our BCS class. Later, he took our Intermediate Computer Skills Course (ICS). Through these courses,  Alfred learned  how to use email, write in Microsoft Word, and do basic functions in Excel. Alfred says that he has learned a lot. “I may not be 100% but for the first time [it] is enough. I needed the experience.”

In January, Alfred started classes at Heald College. He is on track to get an associates degree as a Paralegal. When I spoke to him, Alfred told me how happy he was to have found the TTL. There were other places he could have gone, but Alfred says he came here because he liked the community of people who work and come here. “Everyone is nice,” he said. When he comes, Alfred feels he can talk to the front desk staff. He likes them. He also often comes looking for me, to tell me about his classes, and to hear about mine.

Alfred attributes the welcoming atmosphere to the mission and values of the St. Anthony Foundation and San Francisco Network Ministries (SFNM), the two non-profits that partner to run the TTL. He says it is because we are a charity. I do not think he is entirely wrong in this but I also think there is more to it than that. There is a distinction between working for charity and working for social justice. Charity does not enter into the realm of morality. When you give a donation (monetary, time, or otherwise) out of charity, it can be a one time thing. Justice does not come into the equation. Social Justice, on the other hand, is about forcing a cultural shift. It is about changing laws, perceptions, and attitudes and preserving human rights and dignity. At St. Anthony’s and SFNM, our mission and our guiding principles are based in social justice.  

The mission of the TTL is to provide residents of the Tenderloin and other nonprofits with important technology and vocational skills that increase opportunities for employment, access to essential community resources, and connections with family and friends. Our guests, visit us for our services, but we like to think they leave with a lot more than that. We share our knowledge and our time, but we also share a little bit of ourselves. We welcome everyone who comes in our doors. We know the names of our regulars. We talk with them, and help them when we can. We do not do these things for charity. We do them because everyone deserves a place to come, because everyone deserves to be called by name, to be greeted in the mornings, and helped in times of need.

The fact that Alfred sees us as a charity doesn’t matter. As an organization, we see the importance of social justice. Even if people are not overtly aware of this fact it is something we are consciously doing in our work, and that in and of itself makes all the difference.