Category: Stories

“Thanksgiving is about being together.”

November 18, 2016

Seventy-six-year-old breast cancer survivor Barbara Johnson is one of the 350 participants who visit the Casa de Barro Church Food Bank pantry each week in San Francisco. She ambles in and is greeted by smiles, laughs, and warm welcomes from all the pantry volunteers.

Barbara worked almost her whole life doing clerical work and then as a medical assistant.  Now retired, her income is less than $800 per month. Without the Food Bank, she said she would be going hungry.

“There are so many fresh fruits and vegetables here that I couldn’t afford otherwise,” said Barbara. “And the volunteers are so nice and treat us with respect.”

Barbara especially loves the oranges, peaches, and grapes. One of her favorite vegetable recipes is to use Food Bank corn and canned tomatoes and add some store-bought sausage to make a succotash. Over the holidays, Barbara makes candied yams and baked chicken with the ingredients she gets at the pantry.

“It really helps me stretch my budget at the holidays because there’s more family to feed,” said Barbara who has her brother, daughter, nieces, and nephews over. But she misses her son who died of a heart attack at age 52.

Barbara says one of the best things about the Food Bank pantry is that there’s a sense of community. People check in about each other’s lives, whether someone’s facing an illness like breast cancer, or there’s a death in the family.

“Whether it’s here at the church, or if you see people on the street, the pantry folks are friendly and ask how you are doing,” said Barbara. “It’s not about handouts, it’s about being together.”

Casa de Barro in San Francisco’s Outer Mission neighborhood is one of more than 250 weekly pantries in our region where the Food Bank distributes healthy groceries to neighbors in need.

Thanksgiving at the Pantry Casa De Barro

November 18, 2016

If you visit the Casa de Barro food pantry on a typical Saturday, you can’t help but be amazed by how well it runs. It’s like clockwork: more than 300 families rapidly move through the church, each one receiving 2-3 bags of fresh groceries, all in the course of just a couple hours. A small but mighty army of about 20 volunteers is at the heart of the action – setting up, helping participants, restocking items and ensuring all runs smoothly.

One of the largest pantries in the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank network, Casa de Barro takes on a new rhythm when Thanksgiving rolls around. The pace is a bit slower, the smiles are wider, the hugs last longer. Although participants and volunteers chat and check in with each other every week, the feelings of caring and community reach a giddy peak during the holiday season.

“When Thanksgiving is coming, people make a point to say ‘thanks’ out loud and a lot more often,” said Mayella, who lives nearby with her family and has volunteered at the pantry for eight years. “People make an extra effort to show they care, and we feel more connected. Even though I volunteer every week, at the holidays I think even more about how important and rewarding it is to help each other.”

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For many participants, the whole chicken they receive from the Food Bank for Thanksgiving is the centerpiece of their holiday meal. Margarita, who visits Casa de Barro pantry with her young son most Saturdays, said, “Getting food here helps a lot.  It makes our holiday much better.  My family has something wonderful to eat, and we celebrate that.  In addition to the chicken, we prepare our favorite foods like posole and tamales.”

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Longtime volunteer Vicky appreciates the acts of kindness that proliferate during the season: “People do many, small things to show their thanks – they will bring notes for the volunteers or small candies to share.  They are so grateful for what they receive and they want to give something, whatever they can, to the volunteers to say ‘thank you.’

“The Saturday before Thanksgiving, there is a lot of excitement,” Vicky added. “People are so happy to get food for their big meal, and they are looking forward to celebrating.  They dress up when they are coming to the pantry and you can see everyone’s face is full of joy.”

 

Thanksgiving Feast Brings Community Together

November 18, 2016

When the calendar turns to November, excitement starts to build among residents at the Derek Silva Community, a supportive-housing facility in the heart of San Francisco. The San Francisco-Marin Food Bank provides food for a weekly pantry at the Community, which is home to 70 people who were formerly homeless or are at risk of becoming homeless. Many of the residents have a triple diagnosis of physical health problems, mental health issues, and substance use.

“Thanksgiving is one of the highlights of the year,” says Kevin Fauteux, director at Derek Silva Community. “Residents really look forward to it and start getting ready with decorations weeks ahead of time. On Thanksgiving, we all gather together to share a communal meal prepared by volunteers from St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church with turkey, cranberries, and all the fixings provided by the Food Bank.

“For some of our residents who are withdrawn and isolate themselves, our holiday celebration is a reason for them to connect and participate,” he adds. “The emphasis is on the festivities, the party, and celebration – it’s not about being sick or needing help.”

One of the residents, David, says he looks forward to the celebration every year. “It’s nice to be able to invite a guest; we get dressed up, and it’s classy,” he says.

In addition to the communal Thanksgiving meal, some residents host their own celebrations with family and friends. Vicky, who invites her father, mother, and brother for the holiday said she loves getting a whole chicken from the Food Bank at Thanksgiving.

“Sometimes I roast it. I like the cranberries too, and I’ll steam the sweet potatoes,” Vicky says. “My family gets together for a nice Thanksgiving lunch, and we talk about what we are grateful for.”

The Food Bank’s weekly pantry helps make Thanksgiving extra special for neighbors at Derek Silva Community and continues to nourish them all year long.

“When someone has food, it makes a huge difference in their health,” says Fauteux. “Good nutrition makes them feel better, and they like knowing they can count on this food every week.”

 

Every veteran has a story

November 10, 2016

Whether they are living with the scars of battle or facing other hardships, too many people who have served our country are struggling with hunger. Take Paul Sullivan — a six-year Marine. For him, it wasn’t doing battle in the field; it was a freak accident moving a couch that ended his career as a bricklayer.

After years of hard work and planning, Paul was thrilled to be moving ahead with his dream of relocating to Hawaii. But his life changed forever in a split-second, in a freak accident when he slipped and fell while moving a couch. A serious head injury and dislocated shoulder put Paul’s dreams on hold and sent his life into a tailspin.

“I had such big plans, but now I can’t really know what’s coming next,” said Paul. “Not knowing if I’m going to recover all the way or be able to work again, it’s tough.”

At the height of his career, Paul earned a six-figure salary, working on San Francisco’s tallest skyscrapers. In the late 90’s, he was even part of a team that helped repair the warehouse floor at the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank.

“It’s funny how life comes full circle,” said Paul, who receives groceries from the Food Bank at the Ritter Center’s weekly food pantry in San Rafael. “Once, I was fixing the Food Bank’s floors, and here I am today getting food.

Today, four years after the accident, Paul has learned to manage recurring pain and frequent migraines. He continues to grapple with short-term memory loss.

“It makes a big difference when you’re struggling to be able to eat healthy,” he added. “When I had more money I didn’t eat as well as I do now. I use everything I get and incorporate all of this good food into what I eat.”

Not wanting to be a burden to his family, he was homeless for 3½ months until an 84-year-old former Marine invited Paul and his dog, Gigi, to live in his home in exchange for doing handy work around the house.

“It’s caring like this, coming from all around, that makes it easier for me to believe those good things are going to come,” Paul said, getting emotional.

On Wednesdays, you can often find him volunteering at the food pantry, one of the several services offered by Ritter Center. The Center is a Food Bank partner that helps the homeless and low-income residents of Marin to stabilize their lives through a wide range of social services including case management, health care, mental health therapy, substance use counseling, and supplemental food.

Paul credits Ritter Center with saving his life: “When I first came to Ritter Center, I was struggling with anger and depression. I came here to shower, get a bag of food now and then, and availed myself of the free counseling services. There are so many kindnesses here. I honestly don’t know where I would be today if I hadn’t found this help.”

Making Ends Meet with the Food Bank

September 29, 2016

Deborah Brooks works the night shift at a housing nonprofit for the homeless. At the end of the month, she finds she runs out of money and could use a little help herself.

“We get plenty of good food from the Food Bank. I can hardly carry it – it’s two bags full,” said Deborah Brooks, a pantry participant at Bethel AME Church.

Helping others

Brooks helps the homeless by working as a night desk clerk for a permanent housing nonprofit. She works the overnight shift, from midnight to 8 a.m., answering the phones and letting residents in the building. “I like helping other people. It’s rewarding to me. I don’t get paid a great deal, but I’m glad to be working,” Brooks said.

But by the end of the month, she could use a little help herself. Much needed and long overdue dental work has been straining an already tight budget. By the time the bills are paid, Brooks finds that she runs out of food and money.

“Most of my paycheck goes to the dentist, to pay the rent, the lights and gas and the telephone,” Brooks says.

Making ends meet

Before she began coming to the food pantry, the nonprofit worker would “just wait” until the next paycheck to buy food and subsisted on staples like rice and beans.

Now she supplements her groceries with chicken, eggs, fruit cocktail, carrots, strawberries, blackberries, lettuce, pasta, rice and cereal from the Food Bank. The food is fresh and the nutritional benefits are undeniable, according to Brooks. “This gives me a little more variety and flexibility with food,” Brooks said. “Thank goodness for the Food Bank.”

School Pantries: Helping Johnson and His Family Thrive

September 29, 2016

Spring Valley Science School is buzzing with excitement as children climb on the jungle gym, play tag and show off their basketball skills. Drawing children together from around the city during the school break, Spring Valley hosts summer classes for students and also acts as a community center where parent volunteers run a weekly food pantry.

Spring Valley is one of more than 246 Food Bank pantry sites where families and individuals can pick up fresh produce and grocery staples. The farmers’ market-style pantries are designed to allow participants to choose from items such as chicken, eggs, rice, apples, lettuce, and potatoes, as if shopping in a traditional market.

The pantries support families like Johnson’s. During the school year, Johnson’s family attends the pantry at the Chinese Education Center (CEC) where he is entering 3rd grade this fall, but during the summer they count on getting food from Spring Valley where Johnson takes summer classes.

Johnson’s maternal grandmother lives near his family and, like many grandparents in the community, she often helps out with taking Johnson to and from school. She tends to have the day off of work on Thursdays, and she enjoys joining the family to pick out healthy food at the school pantry. All three generations gather for family dinners at Johnson’s home, where they use their food pantry groceries to make stir fry and fried potatoes, Johnson’s favorite dishes.

When he’s not busy in school, Johnson spends most of his free time making art. Ya Yi, Johnson’s mother, says her favorite gift from Johnson is a mother’s day card that he drew for her. She cherishes his creativity and wants to continue to nurture his love of drawing. She plans on enrolling him in an art program as soon as his summer session at Spring Valley is over.

Participation in the food pantry program allows Johnson’s family to worry less about putting dinner on the table and to devote more attention to raising a happy, thriving child. Ya Yi is thankful for the assistance they receive from the food pantry. “We are very happy to get this food.”

The Food Bank Helps Cancer Survivor Stay Healthy

September 29, 2016

Former city worker. Caregiver. Cancer survivor. Once homeless. Food pantry client.

These words map out the life of Glenda Robinzine, a 65-year-old woman who bakes for her neighbors and now lives in social service housing.

A Long Way from Home

Originally from Chicago, Glenda moved to San Francisco to take care of her aunt, who suffered from Alzheimer’s.  After acting as caregiver for 16 years, Glenda found herself put out on the street.
“When she passed, her son wanted me to pay $1,600 in rent and all the utilities,” Glenda said. “I couldn’t do it, so he evicted me.”

The timing couldn’t have been worse. Glenda was receiving treatment for cancer of the mandible.

“If I hadn’t had the cancer, I could have been working,” she explained. “I worked all my life. I always had city and county jobs.”

Back in Chicago, Glenda worked as an administrative assistant for police department and worked in the state attorney’s office for Richard Daley before he became mayor.

“I had to give up everything to come out here and take care of my auntie,” Glenda said.

Cancer and Homelessness

Without family support in the city, Glenda stayed in shelters, rode the bus and slept on the couch of a lady at her church – anything to stay off the streets.
Glenda’s cancer made the situation all the more dire.
“I was wearing 300 milligrams of morphine on my back and my doctor was worried. I couldn’t be in the heat or it could kill me or the cold, because it could kill me, too.”

A social worker intervened and found Glenda the last spot at Mosaica Family and Senior Apartments, a mixed income housing complex managed by the Tenderloin Development Corporation.

The single room apartment, with full kitchen and a private bathroom, was heaven compared to the shelters. And the apartments came with an additional surprise – a weekly food pantry with food provided by the Food Bank.

Help from the Food Bank

While at the shelter, Glenda had received weekly groceries from her church, Mt. Enon, which also received a distribution from the Food Bank. It was like coming home.
“I’ve been dependent on the Food Bank before I got here,” Glenda said. “It’s been really helpful. I couldn’t make it without it.”
“Oh my goodness, every week we get eggs or meat and that lasts me the week. Every day, I can have breakfast.

“They give me everything I need. Eggs, banana, fruit, bread, milk, cereal. You can make your meals out of what you get down there. There’s carrots, cabbage, potatoes. You can do so much with potatoes!”

And then there’s the cake mix.

Glenda enjoys baking for her downstairs neighbor, who is on oxygen and can’t cook for herself. In fact, Glenda enjoys baking for just about everyone in her life – her doctor, her pharmacist, her neighbors and children celebrating birthdays at her church.

She uses the oil and eggs she receives from the Mosaica pantry to make cakes, brownies and cookies. The Food Bank holiday distribution even included fresh pecans, and those go into special candies.

“It’s my way of saying thank you,” Glenda said.