St. Anthony Foundation
 | |
| Type | Charity |
|---|---|
| Focus | homelessness, poverty, volunteers |
| Website |
www |
St. Anthony Foundation is a social services agency in the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco that offers a way out of poverty to the most vulnerable among us: seniors, veterans, the physically disabled, the mentally and addictively ill, the unemployed and underemployed.
Franciscan Friar Alfred Boeddeker, opened the doors of St. Anthony's Dining Room for the first time on October 4, 1950, expecting to serve 150 hot, nutritious meals to his hungry and homeless neighbors in the Tenderloin of San Francisco. He served 400. On that day, Fr. Alfred created a Dining Room that was more than just a place to eat; it was a welcoming community where people from all walks of life could break bread together and be surrounded by kindness.
Over the past six decades, St. Anthony’s has incorporated many additional programs to address the changing needs of our guests. These include: the Free Clothing Program; St. Anthony Medical Clinic with the only free pediatrics program in the Tenderloin; St. Anthony’s Social Work Center to help clients find housing, access services, and stabilize their lives; the Fr. Alfred Center, the city’s only licensed no-fee residential drug and alcohol rehabilitation program; and the Social ACTion program, a volunteer and educational program on issues of poverty and homelessness.
Through St. Anthony Foundation's many programs, they offer guests a gateway to reclaim their sense of dignity, progress toward stability, and ultimately move out of poverty. In community with volunteers, donors and guests, St. Anthony's works on long-term solutions to poverty while meeting immediate, critical needs.
The New St. Anthony's
St. Anthony Foundation opened the New St. Anthony’s Dining Room on October 4, 2014. The new facility meets the challenges of the 21st century and the increasing need for services. There is more space to store more food for longer periods, allowing St. Anthony's to maximize use of large food donations and bargains and ensures the ability to guarantee ample and nutritious meals for guests.
The new facility also houses a Social Work Center and Free Clothing Program–thus aligning these services in one building. This alignment is part of St. Anthony's Gateway Strategy that positions the Dining Room as the entry point for guests to access other programs. Just steps away – and part of St. Anthony Foundation's Tenderloin Campus – at 150 Golden Gate Avenue, guests can access St. Anthony Medical Clinic and get computer training and job search assistance at the Tenderloin Technology Lab. St. Anthony's programs work together to help guests transition to better lives.
The New St. Anthony’s Dining Room is a bridge project between the Tenderloin and the new Mid-Market development. It will also be an indispensable part of San Francisco’s disaster preparedness plan. In the event of a disaster, St. Anthony’s will be equipped to distribute food and water for the community-at-large, treat people with emergency medical needs, and establish a communications and assistance center. St. Anthony Foundation offers critical services to the most underserved communities.
Volunteers
St. Anthony Foundation welcomes more than 10,000 people each year from every sector of the community from students to corporate employees to engage in direct service to the poor and homeless. Notable volunteers include Dianne Feinstein, Ed Lee (politician), Nancy Pelosi, and Barry Zito.