Observations of Family Service

This post is from Carina, who is a high school intern at St. Anthony Foundation’s Free Clothing Program:

During Family Service at St. Anthony’s Free Clothing Program, I see a lot of women coming with their children. These women are looking for clothing for their children, themselves, and their partners. On some days, Family Service can get hectic with the amount of guests who need help, but we survive. These women come to us to receive our help and to move forward with our help.  These women are happy when they can get something for their children. Women always ask for shoes and toys for their children. I see that these women always put their children before themselves. Their children are their priority and it will always be that way. Every parent’s priority should be their children.

What happens at Family Service?

Well, guests first check in then they can get one full outfit for every immediate family member that is currently living with them. For example, they could get an outfit for their husband/partner, their children, and themelves. Then they check out with Mariana who makes sure that guests are taking only one outfit per person on the list of their family members. After that, they get to go home with clothes that now belong to them.  We are also able to give goodie bags of hygiene products, such as shampoo, soap, body lotions, and body washes.

We are all proud to be part of St. Anthony Foundation and help families that are low-income, homeless, and in difficult situations. We love to make changes and we love to see change. The smiles we see on our families’ faces bring smiles to our faces because we are making a change. I know I repeat myself but I repeat myself because it is true that WE ARE MAKING A CHANGE TOGETHER!

Some facts about Family Service at St. Anthony’s:

St. Anthony Foundation has the only program in San Francisco that offers free clothing services for families.

There is an increased need for family services throughout all of St. Anthony’s programs.  We address these needs at our Free Dining Room with space set aside for our families to sit together, the only free pediatric services in the Tenderloin at our Medical Clinic, and of course, our clothing services at our Free Clothing Program.

In 2013, at our Free Clothing Program, we saw 1,450 families.  This included 2,856 children.  The average size of our families was ~4 members.

Back to School Event:

At our Free Clothing Program, we hold an annual Back to School event, providing necessities for our guests heading back to school.  We are focusing on reaching homeless children this year.  So far, we have partnered up with My New Red Shoes, which will be providing 230 pairs of shoes and gift packages for our guests!  We need the support of our community too to provide new backpacks and school supplies.  Please keep us in mind when back to school shopping.  We will be accepting contributions at 101 8th Street, San Francisco, CA 94102.  Thanks!