The Food Pantry will be CLOSED November 27 (the Friday after Thanksgiving) December 25 (Christmas) and January 1 (New Years Day.)

The Food Pantry celebrated our ninth anniversary at St. Gregory’s on Friday November 6, welcoming old friends and new volunteers, visitors and long-time supporters. Our profound thank you to everyone who has given time, money, prayer, encouragement and presence to The Food Pantry over the years. The report below is from our volunteer Virginia Giblin:

Autumn is here and the watermelons are replaced by winter squash and leafy greens, though the onions and potatoes and apples remain. The Pantry is a slower, calmer place; the bags of groceries are more manageable as we shift into a comfort level with our new system of serving the hungry people within our San Francisco community. This allows us more time to make eye contact, say hello, lend a hand and be both human and kind in these trying times.
Hard to believe that today the Pantry commemorated its NINTH anniversary. A brief celebratory service was held, replete with the sharing of wine and – of course! – bread, blessed by Steve Hassett (English) Connie Lam (Cantonese) and Anibal Mejia (Spanish.) The deepening of community from the core circle of providers to the wider circle of St. Gregory’s, and out into the streets of San Francisco is what transpired today. Everywhere is blessing-– we need only quietly go within to know. Then sing and feast, however simply, then give thanks. These troubling times too shall surely pass.

http://www.californiacountry.org/features/article.aspx?arID=625

As of the end of October, The Food Pantry regrets to say we can’t register any new visitors or give out new cards; we are currently serving over a thousand people. We hope to be able to raise enough money to offer new cards at the beginning of next year, but right now we are at our maximum.

IF YOU NEED FOOD please call 211 in San Francisco. This is a hotline that can direct you to pantries near you that are open and where you’ll be able to get food.

We’re sorry to be unable to serve you. Please check back on this site at the beginning of the year.

Great article on pantries, food banks and produce: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/11/magazine/11banks-t.html

At tomorrow’s pantry we’ll have fresh butternut squash, pears, cabbage, potatoes, carrots and tomatoes.  Fresh bread, beans, rice, snack bars and frozen tomato Tuscan soup will also be served.

This past Friday the Pantry re-opened with a new system to better serve everyone. (See “Get Food” for details.) We want to extend a huge and heartfelt thank you to all of our amazing volunteers! Our volunteers have worked endlessly these past few weeks to devise a fair and effective system: they’re the reason we are able to serve hundreds of people each week with grace and dignity. 

We served over 600 people this last Friday with fresh fall produce from the San Francisco Food Bank, as well as delicious staple items.  We’re happy to be back, providing nutritious, much needed food!

Our Fall 2009 newsletter is full of stories about our work; you can download it here. Sign up on our home page to receive future issues by email. Fall 2009 newsletter

The Food Pantry at St. Gregory’s Church at 500 DeHaro Street will be CLOSED for renovation in September. We will re-open Friday October 2nd. If you need food in the meantime, please call 211 in San Francisco to find locations of other pantries near you.

On the Line

One of our volunteers, Virginia Giblin, reflects on her experience at The Food Pantry on Friday, August 14.

Today I worked outside, where the people line up waiting to be let in. It takes some crowd management skills at certain points, as well as an open mind, friendliness and a good sense of humor. What stood out for me were several non-English-speaking people coming up, gesticulating, waving their drivers’ licenses and demanding…what? Then I realized: these people are 80 years old and are telling me to let them in!
We have a policy that says if you’re over 80 you do not have to stand in line in the sun, wind, rain, or other elements. So once I caught on, they were escorted right in. I marvel at these people coming across town on a Muni bus to load up their bags and then, like pirates laden with booty, climbing back on another bus and carrying everything back to their kitchen larder. People, that booty, especially if it includes a watermelon, is quite a lot to haul across town!
Of course some of the older folks are accompanied by family members. We have one woman who arrives weekly with her daughter-in-law. She is 97 years of age, spry and sharp as a tack. Once she hit my foot with her shopping cart. I barely felt it, as I was wearing my beloved Frye boots. She grasped my wrist to get my attention to apologize to me. Lord, I say, let me be that strong and bright-eyed at 97!
So many times, we don’t see the elderly or those older than us, since “old” really only means “older than me.” We have another woman who must be in her nineties who comes weekly with her daughter. She walks slowly and carefully with a cane, often assisted by one of our volunteers, while the younger woman gathers the groceries. The daughter said to me, “This is her only outing every week. She just loves coming here.” To which I honestly replied, “And we love seeing her.”
Today, we served 890 people. At the end, we put together a substantial bag of groceries for one of our volunteers to take home to his 80 year old mother, who’s fallen ill. I saw that it’s not just about food: it’s about caring and sharing. That’s what we do every week at The Food Pantry.