75 Years of Love and Community in the Tenderloin This Thanksgiving

MEDIA ALERT

Media Contact:
Sally Haims | Chief Marketing and Communications Officer
(415) 254-5884 | SHaims@stanthonysf.org

2,200+ Meals to Be Served as Meal Demand Climbs 17% and Food Aid Support Ends
Honoring a legacy of compassion and preparing for a winter of heightened need as temporary food supports expire

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — November 2025 — As St. Anthony Foundation marks 75 years of love, dignity, and community in the Tenderloin, the organization will once again gather neighbors around the table — serving more than 2,200 Thanksgiving meals to families, seniors, workers, and individuals facing hunger and hardship.

Since Fr. Alfred Boeddeker opened St. Anthony’s doors in 1950, the Foundation has served more than 49 million meals, carrying forward his belief that everyone deserves to be met with warmth, welcome, and hope.

For 75 years, St. Anthony’s has been more than a meal — we are a place of encounter. We believe love is made visible in relationship: when we share a meal, we also share dignity, story, and belonging. In giving, we receive; in serving, we are changed.

This shared grace unites all who gather here — staff, volunteers, guests, donors, and partners —
and it is why, 75 years on, St. Anthony’s remains a home of belonging.

With emergency SNAP/CalFresh support from a city-led public-private partnership ending after November, thousands of residents will soon see sharply reduced food benefits. As temporary relief expires, need continues to rise: Over the last few months, St. Anthony’s is now generally serving 17% more meals — up from roughly 2,000 to more than 2,400 on average per day.

“For 75 years, St. Anthony’s has been a place where love is made visible — a meal, a welcome, a reminder that every neighbor belongs,” said Dr. Larry Kwan, CEO, St. Anthony Foundation. “As many face a difficult winter ahead, we will continue opening our doors with compassion, dignity, and hope.”

WHAT

St. Anthony’s Annual Thanksgiving Meal Service
Serving more than 2,200 festive holiday meals prepared with care and served in community.

Our culinary team will prepare:

• 230 lbs. French green beans
• 500 lbs. potatoes
• 2,000 lbs. turkey
• 240 lbs. of stuffing
• 65 gallons of mushroom gravy
• 1,800 fresh-baked challah rolls
• 200 veggie patties
• Nearly 2,000 servings of olive oil chocolate ganache cake

WHO

• Thousands of neighbors receiving meals
• Volunteers, including multigenerational families, serving alongside them
• St. Anthony Foundation culinary & Dining Room teams

Interviews: Dr. Larry Kwan, CEO, and St. Anthony Foundation leadership and volunteers as willing

WHEN

Thursday, November 27, 2025
Thanksgiving Meal service: 10:00 a.m.–1:30 p.m. (over 1,800 meals served)
Doors open 7:00 a.m. for coffee & pastries (approximately 400 pastries served)

WHERE

St. Anthony Foundation Dining Room
121 Golden Gate Ave., San Francisco, CA 94102 (Tenderloin, near Jones Street)

WHY

As temporary food assistance expires and federal benefits decline, more families and individuals are at risk of hunger this winter. Primarily privately funded, St. Anthony’s will continue providing:

• Meals 365 days a year
• Medical & behavioral health care
• Clothing & hygiene services
• Residential recovery paired with job training and employment pathways
• A welcoming community rooted in healing, gratitude, and justice

This Thanksgiving also marks St. Anthony’s 75th Anniversary — celebrating the supporters, volunteers, and neighbors whose kindness fuels our mission.

PHOTO OPPS/VISUALS

• Thousands of neighbors enjoying Thanksgiving meals
• Dozens of volunteers, including generations of families, serving
• Warm hospitality, joyful connection, and gratitude

We respectfully ask media not to film guests’ faces without permission.

HOW TO HELP

Volunteer shifts urgently needed Dec. 26 – February — when support traditionally drops, yet our neighbors continue to need us every day of the year. To volunteer or donate: stanthonysf.org

About St. Anthony Foundation

For 75 years, St. Anthony Foundation has stood in solidarity with — and walked alongside — neighbors experiencing homelessness, poverty, or addiction, providing meals, healthcare, clothing, recovery, job training, and community rooted in Franciscan values and a belief in the dignity of every person.