Presidio Hill Service

Sunday, February 8, 2015

Show Up And Make a Difference!

I learnt, at Glide, that one out of four people are homeless or food insecure. I also learnt that a lot of those who eat at Glide, have some sort of shelter, but can not afford enough food to feed themselves, or their families. What everybody needs to know about Glide, is that it's a part of a community, it is not scary, the people are just normal people who turned out to be less fortune then ourselves. My favorite part of my three shifts at Glide had to be throwing sandwiches at Sadie Ray so she could put them in the sandwich box. I made a difference today, by just showing up, serving food, preparing the food, as well a sharing my smile. Everybody needs a smile, so the smile can spread around the room. I really want to be a vet, or work at a food pantry like Glide. It may be difficult to open a food pantry by myself though.

~ Laura

Friday, February 6, 2015

Food Insecurity in San Francisco

Yesterday, while we were serving at Glide, we learned about food insecurity and how it affects people across America. Food insecurity is when someone is not sure about when or where their next meal is coming from. At Glide, my favorite part about the day was seeing the happiness around the dining hall. It shows everyone that homeless people are not "scary" nor are they "creepy". I also enjoyed making sandwiches and racing with Aracely trying to make sandwiches faster. My entire group changed and touched people's lives. Glide needs 60-80 volunteers per day so if we weren't there, people would have gone hungry and been left feeling like they hadn't connected to all the people that they could have. I think that Glide is an amazing opportunity for everyone. We get the chance to experience how people deal with food insecurity.

~ Charly

Day Three - Faithful Fools' Street Retreat

We are called to a life of presence that acknowledges each human's incredible worth.

Aware of our judgments, we seek to meet people where they are through the Arts, Education, Advocacy, and Accompaniment.

We participate in shattering myths about those living in poverty, seeing the light, courage, intelligence, strength, and creativity of the people we encounter.

We discover on the streets our common humanity through which celebration, community, and healing occur.

Meeting People at Glide

People need to know that they can always go to Glide for free food and they will be welcomed there. My favorite part of the day was when I was busing tables at breakfast. I met a lot of people. I made a difference today by not letting people go hungry. Now that I have been to Glide I will acknowledge how there are so many home and food insecure people in the world. I will hopefully volunteer and donate money to charity organizations related to helping less fortunate people.

~ Jay

Thursday, February 5, 2015

Ordinary People Give

I learned that the people at Glide aren't all homeless, actually half of them have a home, they just can't afford to pay for food and housing. Everybody needs to know that Glide is mostly sustained by ordinary people donating money. My favorite part of the day was during Food Prep, when we were making the sandwiches because we were all talking and having fun together. I made a difference today by making sure that someone went home with a full stomach, instead of an empty one. I want to continue to volunteer at organizations like Glide or the Food Bank, and help people who are food insecure to become food secure.

~ Henry

GLIDE Opens Doors

While serving at Glide I learned that so many people, not just homeless people, are not food secure. Everyone needs to know that Glide opens doors in your personal life and also in you mantle state. You learn that a lot of people are less fortunate and helping others just lets you see these people. My favorite part of the day was eating at Glide’s Mo’s Kitchen. The food was amazing and the people there where really nice. I made a difference as I served people who didn't have food security. I will try to go back to Glide and serve again.

~ Max

I Made a Difference Today - I Will Be Respectful

I learned that people struggling with hunger and homelessness need financial help, and have to go to Glide to get a meal or two. This does not mean that they are homeless. Something that everyone needs to know about Glide is that it is a really welcoming environment and everyone is super friendly, and the food is amazing. My favorite part of the day was preparing food, because the whole group was working together as a team making sandwiches. It was really fun because we were able to talk to each other, while making a difference in San Francisco's Tenderloin community. I made a difference because my first job was collecting tickets from gusts, and I made sure to always have a smile on my face and greet the guests with enthusiasm and respect. All of the clients did the same thing for me, and it put both of us in a good mood. In my life I am always going to be respectful to others around me and to those less fortunate than me.

~ Sophia

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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.

Day One SF Food Bank - February 4, 2015

Sunday, February 8, 2015

Friday, February 6, 2015

Thursday, February 5, 2015