St. Anthony's feeds need of San Francisco's hungry

By Morgan Davis

Like it’s namesake, the generosity of San Francisco towards its impoverished never ceases, even as it recovers from the worst.

Currently, 150,000 people struggle to feed themselves and their families daily, according to the San Francisco Food Bank. With unemployment at 12.6 percent in California, many are in the position of putting their funds towards keeping a roof over their head, before putting them towards a meal.

In 1950, homeless in the Tenderloin had limited options for meals. Churches purchased meal tickets from restaurants and gave them to the impoverished. However, Franciscan friar Father Alfred learned those who paid with these meal tickets were not receiving the same service and respect as paying customers. He believed in the human right to eat a warm, healthy meal with dignity and respect.

St. Anthony Dining Hall has maintained this tradition of respect since the day Father Alfred opened its doors 60 years ago. It currently provides between 2,600 and 2,700 meals a day, 365 days a year, publishing each month’s menu in advance and always providing a vegetarian option. Seniors and disabled are served at 10:30 a.m.; volunteers bring meals to their table. At 11:30 a.m., doors open to the main line and don’t close until everyone is fed (arriving by 1:30 guarantees a meal).

“It’s about respecting the dignity of every single person that walks through the door,” Communications Manager Francis Aviani said about those who come for meals, for assistance or to volunteer. “It’s all about the heart and soul connection.”

St. Anthony’s ‘heart and soul’
On a sunny day in June, I visited the St. Anthony Foundation, located at the corner of Jones and Golden Gate, an impressively well-maintained section of the Tenderloin. As I walk through the dining room with Development and Marketing Manager Shaun Osburn, we are greeted with smiles from all.

The walls are a warm peach color, featuring tromp l’oeil murals of windows, looking onto San Francisco scenes. A large wipe board announces which group is volunteering as food servers; today is Hands-On Bay Area.
We pass by racks of donated bread, into a hallway that leads to the kitchen.

“Our chef, Lynn, has it down to a science. Almost nothing is wasted from the kitchen,” Osburn said.

The chef can ask how long the line stretches from the entrance to the dining hall on Jones, wrapping around the corner of Golden Gate.

“If someone tells her, it’s at the church, she’ll say, ‘Put on another pot!’ It’s 1 o’clock, we’ll say, ‘What?’ But she’s right. She’s always right,” Osburn said. “It’s like Iron Chef back there!”

Other dining hall workers are in St. Anthony Foundation’s Father Alfred Recovery Program, the city’s only licensed yearlong residential drug and alcohol rehabilitation program.

“One month sober!” a young man tells us, his face brightening with a huge grin. “Eleven months to go!”

He feels confident; I’m hopeful for his struggle. Osburn explained many in the recovery program work in the dining hall for six months, an opportunity to work while healing. Employers can be wary of hiring those with gaps in employment; this is a huge boon for their resume. The actual experience is helpful, too – many find jobs in the food industry.

The Father Alfred Center Recovery Program is one of many services that have grown from the original dining hall.

“People come to us through many routes,” Osburn said. “Usually, a guest will use a number of our services.”

In a sparklingly clean building at 150 Golden Gate, St. Anthony Foundation houses a free clothing program; a free medical clinic, which has the only free pediatrics program in the Tenderloin; a social work center; the Tenderloin Tech Lab (a partnership with Network Ministries); and the Madonna Senior Residence and Center, which provides housing for elderly women. The new building achieved a gold LEED certification, an impressive standard in environmental sustainability.

“It came down to the details,” Osburn said. “Hemp shower curtains!”

The free medical clinic accepts those who do not have health insurance. The tech lab is open to all. Aviani spoke adamantly about technology aid for those who do not have employment.

“People don’t consider that some level of technology is beyond a skill; it’s a need,” Aviani said. “If you don’t know how to send an email and attach a resume and cover letter, you can’t get an interview. If you don’t know how to Google, you can’t find job listings.”

“We had one young man from Silicon Valley came in to volunteer his time,” Osburn said. “He taught some technology skills in the Lab, and at the end of the week, he asked, ‘Is there any thing you need?’ We had computers, but not enough monitors. The next day, we had monitors. You never know when a volunteer has the capacity to give more.”

This is the contagious spirit of generosity fostered at St. Anthony Foundation, from the donors, through the staff and volunteers and among the guests. In the dining hall, apples sit in the middle of the table; guests have offered them up for grabs. Many use plastic bags provided to take home a meal to a loved one who doesn’t have the mobility to come in.

“There’s a lot of sharing that goes on,” Osburn said.

Helping in 2010
Over the course of one year, 9,000 volunteers walk through the door, from bank presidents to former guests. St. Anthony’s provides a Justice Education Program for companies who want more than a community service experience. Before even entering the dining room to serve lunch, visitors are involved in an education forum, discussing topics that confront poverty in San Francisco and the path that leads to it, which is often unpredictable. By introducing leaders in industry to the issues of local poverty, real activism begins.

Giving is common amongst the families in San Francisco that are touched by the work done at St. Anthony. One father remembers his father bringing him every December; he continues the tradition with his own sons.

Christmas is Osburn’s favorite day to work in the dining room.

“For folks that are there on Christmas – it is not their first choice,” Osburn said. He explained that every single day they provide a wonderful and respectful dining experience, but on Christmas, every person goes out of their way to make it special for each guest.

This month, St. Anthony’s is hoping for a Christmas in July. Each December, it runs a curb side clothing donation program, which provides enough clothing for the following year. This year, the clothes provided at Christmas only lasted until March. They are especially in need of men’s wear.

Summer sees an increase in hunger need by 20 percent. Children who are normally supplied one or two meals a day at school, are home for those meals. Homeless are exposed for a longer amount of daylight, living in the elements. St. Anthony’s is asking for a symbolic donation of $20 by anyone that can.

Osburn said he is confident San Francisco’s citizens will come through. He notes that in the past 60 years, St. Anthony’s has weathered nine slumps in the national economy, without accepting government grants or public funds.

“Now we’re seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, we’ve done it again. The city of San Francisco still thought of their poor, homeless neighbors,” Osburn said. “In 2007, when this came on, people thought about others. That compassion floated our guests through.”

For those interested in making a donation of clothing or funds, call (415) 241-2600. For those interested in volunteering, visit: www.stanthonysf.org/?q=volunteer/volunteer-program.