Volunteer Time Snowballs In An Avalanche Of Giving

At holiday time, we at St. Anthony Foundation discover friends we never knew we had.

San Francisco Federal Credit Union was the first to sign up for our Christmas Curbside Donation Drive. After patiently standing just out of the rain waiting for donors to bring used clothing and canned food, and sorting clothing, dishes, and appliances in the back, they loaded our truck, bound for the program that distributes these things for free.

Employees from Wells Fargo and PG&E, who had volunteered with their colleagues this Fall or helped out last Christmas, came back to unload food and clothing from cars as they arrived and sort donations to go to four of our programs. The San Francisco Coalition for Responsible Growth covered half a dozen shifts, and when they caught up with the flow, marched off to the Clothing and Housewares Program to move mountains of clothing and free up work space.

It really helps St. Anthony’s when people volunteer or donate as a team. People who work together, share a religion, or socialize through an organized group, are more likely to talk about us to their friends and colleagues who couldn’t make it to a donation drive or volunteer event. Maybe that’s where all these new friends come from: old friends who spread the word.