Service Spotlight: St. Anthony's

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Service Spotlight: 

St. Anthony’s

By Maria Shelley ‘24

 

Last Friday Ms. Hefflefinger’s 7th-period religion class of sophomores ventured to St. Anthony’s in San Francisco for a day of service. Located in the Tenderloin district of the city, St. Anthony’s is a non-profit organization with the goal to “feed, heal, shelter, clothe, lift the spirits of those in need, and create a society in which all persons flourish” (stanthonysf.org). Every day St. Anthony’s serves over 2,000 meals from their Dining Room kitchen. In addition to their dining room, St. Anthony’s offers a Free Clothing Program which helps 10,000 people each year to receive high-quality clothing at no charge. 

Below: Students listen to a service presentation before starting their volunteer work. (Photo credit: Ms. Hefflefinger)

        After arriving at St. Anthony’s, the sophomores sat down for a presentation about St. Anthony’s mission and the work they are doing to serve the people of the Tenderloin. Students were educated on the history of St. Anthony’s which was started seven decades ago by Franciscan Friar Fr. Alfred Boeddeker. On October 4, 1950, St. Anthony’s Dining Room served its first meal and has been providing nutritious meals ever since. “St. Anthony's prides themselves in respecting the dignity of every human person who comes to St. Anthony's, welcoming every one & referring to each guest by their first name—something that has always left a lasting impression on me as well as students,” mentioned Ms. Hefflefinger, one of Mercy’s sophomore religion teachers. We also learned about the other services St. Anthony’s offers such as the medical clinic, Tenderloin Tech Lab, and Community Safety Services. After the service presentation concluded, students were broken up into two groups to serve in the Dining Room and the Free Clothing Program for the rest of the morning.

Mercy volunteers prepare to hand out prepackaged meals. Photo Credit: Ms. Hefflefinger 

        In the Dining Room, the sophomores helped to prepare and package food for the daily lunch meal from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Each meal is packaged in to-go containers complete with utensils and handed out to guests at the Dining Room doors. The Dining Room volunteers were able to see first-hand just how much a hot meal is appreciated by St. Anthony’s guests. Meanwhile, in the Free Clothing Program, students sorted through bags of clothing donations while performing three quality checks to ensure that the clothes are of the highest quality for the guests. Students were also able to assist guests in finding the perfect outfit as they shopped the many racks in the boutique-like store. Throughout the day, students caught a glimpse of just how much a hot meal or new clothing item means to someone! According to Ms. Hefflefinger, the day was a great success: “All in all—it was a beautiful & rewarding day! Two more sophomore religions classes will be attending next semester; however, students who go always want to go back for more!” 7th Period Religion outside of St. Anthony’s Photo Credit: Ms. Hefflefinger 

How can you help?

St. Anthony’s work would not be possible without the thousands of volunteers each year. There is a daily volunteer calendar on St. Anthony’s website where you can sign up to volunteer in the Dining Room and Free Clothing Program. In addition, St. Anthony’s accepts donations of items such as clothing, shoes, luggage, towels, linens, and hygiene products. St. Anthony’s offers curbside donation drop-offs by appointment and accepts mail-in donations. To volunteer outside of school, please visit https://www.stanthonysf.org/volunteer/. By volunteering, Ms. Hefflefinger pointed out that “in the spirit of Diwali and Día De Los Muertos that occurred these past two weeks, let us bring light to others this soon approaching Advent & Christmas Season.”

Credits

Written By: Maria Shelley 

Edited By: Editor name (will add it while proofreading)

Cover Photo By Maria Shelley 

Photo 1 taken by Ms. H 

Photo 2 taken by Ms. H 

Photo 3 taken by Ms. H 

References

“San Francisco Non-Profit.” St. Anthony's, https://www.stanthonysf.org/.

 

 

Mercy Media Edition #3 

October 11th, 2021

mercymedia@mercyhsb.com

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