For Ranjit, Showing Up Is Where Change Begins 

June 22, 2026

Because of supporters like you, neighbors facing addiction, homelessness, and isolation can find the support they need to rebuild their lives. Ranjit is one of them. 

“My life depends on these connections.” That’s how Ranjit explains his focus on a daily plan that prioritizes his recovery at St. Anthony’s and the better life he’s trying to build. The years of incarceration and drug use may be behind him, but he intends to stay vigilant and keep on the right path. 

Referred to St. Anthony’s while still incarcerated, Ranjit sought the organization out specifically when he was released. He wanted a longer-term program because, as he puts it, “I could get clean, but the problem was staying clean.” 

That self-awareness was a good fit for the Father Alfred Center (FAC), a residential recovery program founded by Fr. Alfred Boeddeker in the early days of St. Anthony’s mission. The year-long program provides a safe and supportive environment with services including counseling, medical care, and workforce development. 

Shifting the Focus 

The year-long commitment to FAC was a huge change for Ranjit. 

“When you’re actively using,” he says, “the drugs come first. Anti-social is your comfort zone, so I had to relearn some of the basics around working with others and being accountable.” 

The St. Anthony’s Dining Room was a good place to hone those skills. Starting as a volunteer, he rediscovered a sense of purpose and direction that had been missing from his life for a long time. 

Today, Ranjit is employed as a Volunteer Coordinator in the Dining Room, helping organize students, retirees, and local business teams to ensure guests are seen and served with care. 

Reflecting on his journey, Ranjit is grateful for the support that helped him get back on his feet. He still stays in touch with his Companion, a dedicated staff member whose coaching and lived experience continue to guide his recovery. From legal navigation and employment assistance to health care and housing support, Ranjit relies on the relationships and resources that help him stay healthy, productive, and connected. 

Ranjit always sensed a connection between the loneliness he experienced as a child and the struggles that followed in adulthood. Sent away from the Bay Area to his father’s homeland of India when he was young, he wonders how that experience shaped his later challenges. After a serious injury in his 30s, he became addicted to pain medication and later heroin. What followed was more than a decade of incarceration, substance use, and instability. 

He sees it all a little more clearly these days, but he does not let the past define him. 

“I stay present in the day,” he says. 

A father of three grown children, he speaks proudly of their accomplishments while counting the many blessings that are now part of his life. 

Ranjit says his task today is simple: focus on what is right in front of him. He trusts that as long as he stays connected to the care, compassion, and community he found at St. Anthony’s, the future will continue to unfold. 

In the meantime, he has a Dining Room shift to get to. 

Showing up—for work, for guests, and for himself—is more than enough.

Your support helps connect neighbors like Ranjit to recovery, community, and the resources they need to build a brighter future. Make your gift today at stanthonysf.org/give.