November 2024
Dear Friend and Supporter of the St Francis Living Room,
I am happy to inform you that good things are happening in San Francisco’s Tenderloin these days. In particular, at the St. Francis Living Room, from Monday to Friday, we bring positive energy to our low-income and homeless seniors in addition to some hot coffee and something to eat. We offer our guests a safe and welcoming space for social interaction and a healthy breakfast. They have made the Living Room a part of their daily lives. We are doing a small part in improving their overall well-being in this rough part of town!
Allow me to present to you one of our guests, Joanna. Originally from Alaska, she was the eldest child in a family of 17 children! She has been living in the Tenderloin for over 45 years. Access to her fourth floor apartment is not easy for an 83-year old lady who depends on a walker to move around slowly, but she manages, even with her two beloved small dogs (pictured here). Rarely does Joanna complain…I know only her modesty and her soft smile.
Joanna has her routine: each day it starts at the St. Francis Living Room where she loves to spend time with other guests and enjoys making them feel better. Often she brings a little something to share with others. Her good heart and her sound mind are well appreciated by all. Over several mornings I noticed last year that Joanna brought more than an appetite to our small organization…she politely made suggestions for improvement. So I asked her to join our Board of Directors. We are so glad she accepted as she brings knowledge and wisdom from a different and vitally important point of view. Joanna helps us in our work of improving the lives of homeless and low-income seniors in the Tenderloin.
The population of low-income and homeless seniors we serve are sadly more prone to severe health problems. A few months back Joanna stopped coming by. Ultimately we learned that she had a mild heart attack and had a pacemaker inserted. Everyone was so happy when she returned to the Living Room. The St. Francis Living Room is really a place where we see and celebrate improvements in the lives of our guests.
To be able to continue improving the lives of homeless and low-income seniors with our work, I invite you to support the St. Francis Living Room and help seniors like Joanna rejoice in the positive each morning. We can do our work thanks to generous donors such as yourself. We get minimal government funding and every dollar we receive is stretched to its maximum in order to aid our guests! There are no inflated salaries (we have three part-time employees) or bloated bureaucracy here. Every penny we receive goes to helping people truly in need.
The St. Francis Living Room is Joanna’s first stop of the day. We want to make sure that this special space continues to be a haven each day for other low-income and homeless seniors. Here is how you can help us:
Send a check to: St. Francis Living Room, 350 Golden Gate Avenue, Suite A, San Francisco, CA 94102
On our website at www.sflivingroom.org, click DONATE and choose a one-time gift, or become a monthly or quarterly supporter; donations by Zelle or by crypto currency are also available from HERE.
Include the St. Francis Living Room in your estate planning. Please, contact jonathan@sflivingroom.org for more details.
At the Living Room, we work to improve the condition of homeless and low-income seniors in the Tenderloin. Join our effort and/or consider increasing your contribution so we continue our impact..
Thank you for your support. We at the St Francis Living Room wish you and your loved ones a wonderful Thanksgiving and joyous start to the Winter season.
Warmest regards,
Pierre Smit
Executive Director
St Francis Living Room
350 Golden Gate Avenue, Suite A - San Francisco CA 94102
www.sflivingroom.org - Join our Facebook page: “The St Francis Living Room, San Francisco”
Our Board of Directors
Jonathan Lowell (President), Leonor Barnett (Secretary), Peter DeMarais (Treasurer), Doug Barnett, Alanna Maldonado, Carol Karahadian, Simone Sims, Joanna Coronell, Aaron Frank, Mehar Lally
