Presidio Hill Service: GLIDE: Day One at SF Food Bank

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

GLIDE: Day One at SF Food Bank

Reflecting on Our Day at SF Food Bank

Question: What does everyone need to know about the day our team shared at San Francisco's Food Bank?

Charly: People need to know that we went to the SF Food Bank, met great and important people there, worked measuring and packaging rice to be given to people at food bazaars all over the bay area, the Food Banks are open 7 days a week, and the Food Banks need people of all ages to help.

Sadie Ray: One in 4 people in SF are food insecure. People expect to see nothing but cans and boxes but more than 60% of food shipped out is fresh produce. The Food Bank is the main supplier to more than 400 food pantries and soup kitchens like Glide in San Francisco.

Aracely: We went because there are people all over SF who are food insecure. Last year the Food Bank gave out more than 46 million lbs of food and expect to give more than 47 million pounds this year.

Nika: People need to know that we are helping out people who are food insecure. We are helping those who are not as fortunate as we are. People need to know that it is not boring -- it is really fun to do this work.

Laura: We bagged over 2100 lbs of rice... The food bank happens because the volunteers make it happen. Without volunteers the Food Bank would not survive.

Sophia: We had a lot of FUN. The Food Bank has 200 partnerships and 200 food pantries that they serve. If you are food insecure call 211 and you will get the help you need

Max: On a project like this, you will learn more than you can at school. The Food Bank gives opportunities to children who would not have access to fresh produce. The warehouse smells of oranges and onions... Bring money for snacks...

Jay: People in SF and Marin can get free food, if they have a need. It is a nice warehouse and great place to work.

Rou Rou: Most of the food is donated or the Food Bank might pay $.86/lb for their fresh produce

Todd: There are 3 to 4 million lbs of food in the Food Bank's warehouse that require teams of volunteers to process and to get to people in need.

Question: How did your work make you feel and what was a favorite moment?

Henry: Sealing the bags of rice was really fun. It felt good that our packages would go to help people who couldn't help themselves and weren't as fortunate as we are.

Laura: Similar to Henry's... All our hard work and effort were great... I like to think that if we went to one of the hundreds of distribution food bazaars I could say that I made this packet of rice happen... I helped the person who is going to get it... I helped people who weren't as fortunate as we are.

Nika: It is great feeling that I was able to help someone...

Aracely: I really enjoyed weighing, measuring, packaging and labeling the rice. The people from Twitter who were working next us couldn't get as precise measurements. They were puzzled as to why.

Sadie Ray: It is so satisfying when you finish each box and took it to be closed and weighed. I was pleased when the annoying singing guy who thought he could rap finally got off our bus as we made our way back to PHS and today's assembly.

Charly: Filling a box was really gratifying -- feeling that you got things accomplished. I am grateful that I go to a school that gives me opportunities to help people throughout the Bay Area.

Todd: I loved seeing everyone working so hard... being so enthusiastic and having so much fun working hard. This is truly an authentic learning experience... and when people are at their best. I loved the journey across the City, listening to student stories which shows us how smart and funny all of them are.

Rou Rou: Didn't get to go but has been several times before. Loved counting and seeing how much everyone packaged in the collaborative effort.

Jay: I liked talking to various people on the bus like the guy who wasn't a fan of Jerry Brown.

Max: Getting measures of exactly one pound was always a pleasing thing... The man we met and talked with on Muni - "Fracking Guy " was a Vet and he was really intriguing.

Sophia: Today felt really good. When I woke up this morning I didn't want to come because I was tired but I had a lot of fun with friends. We had good conversations while packing rice... I ripped a couple of bags but it was no big deal we packed a ton of rice to be given to people in need.

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PHS Students, Families and Friends Make the World A better Place

Quality Foods at Glide

Making a Difference One Sandwich at a Time

Today at Glide I learned many things, I learned that not all of the people that eat there are homeless. Many of them are homeless, and live on the streets. The majority of the people that do come to Glide live in a house but they are food insecure, meaning they can not afford to buy food. Glide is a great place to go if you’re food insecure. At Glide, my favorite part was working in the Coffee House. I wasn’t in the kitchen chopping up food or just putting some food on the tray. In the coffee house, I had to give people trays of food. What really surprised me was that most of them were actually polite. I would have thought they were going to be rude. Today I made a difference because I helped prepare peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with Charly. We were skilled and used two loafs of bread in less than a minute that is about 40 sandwiches. Since we were working so fast we were able to make more sandwiches than we were supposed to, which was pretty amazing if you ask me. I am looking forward to volunteer at Glide more often so I could help make a difference in the world.

~ Aracely

Glide Day Two February 5, 2015

PHS students showed up for and work three shifts at Glide's meals programs today. They arrived at 6:45 am and served breakfast to more than 450 Tenderloin residents. Students sat with staff and clients and enjoyed the foods they had previously served for breakfast. Students went on to report for their second shift doing food preparations. They had a blast collaborating as they prepared bagged lunches, whipped peanut butter and jelly, made salads, wrapped fried chicken, and cleaned up the kitchen. They rushed off to their third shift serving an amazing fried chicken lunch to grateful guests. Students closed the day by meeting with Reverend Dr Karen Oliveto and Kristen Growney Yamamoto, Co-Executive Director at Glide. Together they reflected on their day of service and set intentions.

Street Retreat 2014 - Making a Difference for People Struggling with Hunger and Homelessness

Our project day was spent taking on the complex issues of hunger and homelessness. We served at San Francisco’s world famous Glide and participated in a street retreat with the renowned Faithful Fools. We became one of the 4,000 plus people from all over the world that have made street retreats since July of 1998! We started our day at 6:45 am serving people living in San Francisco’s infamous Tenderloin in Glide’s Daily Free Meals program. Giving was a transformative experience. The Glide meals program needed us and each day requires 60 volunteers each day in order to fill the breakfast, lunch and dinner shifts, 364 days a year. Our food service shift at Glide was 7:00 am through 9:00 am. Once we finished serving breakfast we participated in a daylong street retreat, where we worked at knowing more about the people we served and the remarkable neighborhood that these people call home. The retreat began at 9:30 am as we gathered with song and reflective readings. After introducing ourselves, sharing what had brought each of us to the retreat and the hopes and expectations that each one brought, an orientation to the layout of the day was given and then we set out onto the streets for a number of hours. We were shadowed by experienced adults who had previously participated in and facilitated retreats. There was nothing that anyone of us was supposed to do except trust that we would be led to that which is ours to encounter in the day. In the afternoon, we regrouped to share our experiences and close with a tea. The daylong street retreat offered an opportunity for all of us to bear witness to our own experiences and life story as it relates to what we encountered as we spent a day walking and exploring the streets of the Tenderloin. We entered into the street retreat not knowing what we would encounter and with a lot of apprehension about what it would be. From that place of not knowing, students discover what there is for each of us to know. This made it possible for each of us to begin to “discover our common humanity.” Myths about this neighborhood and the people we support were shattered. Our own stories were revealed to us. We began to see the light, courage, strength and creativity in the people we encounter. While moving through the day, students and adults were asked to be conscious of what came up from within - attitudes, judgments, fears, assumptions - about who is in the streets and why some people are homeless, especially at a time when we are being told that the freedom and privileges of the United States are envied around the world. What was it we saw and heard and felt as we had conversations with individuals, walked through the streets, sat on a bench in the U.N. Plaza, or in a drop-in center, stood in a food line waiting for a meal, became tired or had to go to the bathroom and confronted signs that say, “rest-rooms for customers only”, or “no loitering”? We shared the richness of the experience as it was reflected through the voices of those who had gone into the streets with us. We treasured sharing this experience.

PHS Pledges Support to Glide Meals Program

By Isabel Schroedel

I first started volunteering at Glide Memorial Church on a field trip in sixth grade. I had a great experience there, and it felt really good to be helping people in need. I decided to volunteer with Glide’s Free Meals program for my Bat Mitzvah community service project, and have continued to volunteer regularly since then, as well as helping out in the volunteer coordination office. Once I became aware of how essential volunteer assistance is to the organization (every meal requires 20 volunteers – that’s 21,900 volunteers a year!), I realized that having more student participation would be extremely beneficial for Glide, as well as provide students with an invaluable learning experience. I approached Todd near the end of last year about starting a Glide Committee at PHS to help arrange more volunteer trips.

Since then, with Todd’s help, I have gotten together a group of students and approached Scott about our plans to organize more frequent volunteer trips. The PHS faculty has been very supportive in our efforts, and, after working very hard organizing during the first semester, we had our first trip to Glide in January. Our first trip was a big success; everything went smoothly, and everybody seemed to have a great time. It was very exciting to see all of our hard work pay off, and we are in the process of organizing more trips for the rest of the year.

Presidio Hill Service

Day One SF Food Bank - February 4, 2015

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

GLIDE: Day One at SF Food Bank

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