What’s New at SF CARES?

Spring has certainly the season of new things here at SF CARES!  We have a ton of seedlings at the Free Farm as one would expect, but we also have some great new projects sprouting.  I’ve already written about the backpack drive we’re doing for Project Homeless Connect's July 27th event in the Bayview focused on families.  We’ve also started a Theater of the Oppressed and are about to launch a GED class aimed at people who live outside.

Theater of the Oppressed is a technique which has been used for decades for personal and political transformation.  Participants write and perform short plays about difficulty life situations for one another and switch out parts to explore different approaches to dealing with their experiences - rehearsing for life.  It can also be used as in a variety of ways for political activism; indeed Augusto Boal, the person who originated Theater of the Oppressed, was banished from Brazil for it and then from all of South America.  You know it’s a powerful technique if it can get you kicked off a continent. 

Our workshops run from 6:30a.m. to 9:30a.m. every Tuesday at St. Paulus Lutheran Church at 950 McAllister.

Our GED class is almost ready to sprout.  We have a venue, we have our curriculum, all we need are one or two tutors who can commit to one or two mornings a week.  We’re especially looking for people who have some experience teaching.

Contact Valerie at sfcare@saintpaulus.org or 415-673-3572.

The Night Ministry: What We Do

Project Family Connect Needs Backpacks and Needs You

According to a December 4, 2011 article in the San Francisco Chronicle, "in the [San Francisco's] public schools, there are 2,200 homeless children, some in shelters, others in cars, or on couches, or in long-term hotel rooms. That's 400 more homeless children than a year ago."

Project Homeless Connect is setting out to fill the need and SF CARES is proud to help with this effort.   We hope you’ll join school groups, interfaith groups and others in the backpack drive.   We are encouraging folks to hold their own backpack drive and deliver them to us.  We are also hosting our own backpack stuffing event at St. Paulus Lutheran Church on July 15^th at 1:30 p.m. as well and would love to have you come join us.  The backpacks will be distributed at our July 27th Family Connect. 

 

How you can help:

• Purchase one or more backpacks and the supplies needed for one student (we’ll send you the list of supplies after you sign up below)
• Label the back pack with the grade and sex it’s intended for
• Deliver the backpack to Project Homeless Connect or one of our drop off locations around the Bay Area (we’ll send you information about delivery after you sign up below)
• Sign up to help now and we’ll send you supply lists for the grades we still need backpacks for.  Click here to sign up.
• Come to the backpack stuffing event on June 15^th at 1:30 and help us stuff 150 backpacks.  St. Paulus is located at 950 McAllister between Laguna and Webster.

Thank you:Sports Basement for supporting our backpack drive by offering a 10% discount to customers who mention Project Homeless Connect

Email us at sfcare@saintpaulus.org with any questions or to RSVP.

Night Ministry Open House Is Coming Soon

San Francisco Night Ministry is holding its first annual Open House! Have you ever wanted to learn more about how the Night Ministry works?  Wanted to learn more about what service opportunities are available with Night Ministry in a low pressure environment? Come enjoy good food and music and learn more about the Night Ministry.  You’ll be able to meet the Night Ministers and some of our dedicated volunteers.  This is also your opportunity to learn about how to become a Crises Line Counselor or Daytime Volunteer Corp volunteer or to find out more about our Open Cathedral services.  There’ll be a chance to hear about the great plans we have in the works to celebrate our 50^th Anniversary as well. 

Come join us at St. Mark's at 1111 O'Farrell Street in San Francisco on June 3rd from 2p.m. until 4 p.m. for fun, good conversation, good music, and good food.  This is a free event and all are welcome.

For further information contact office@sfnightministry.org or check out our Facebook event page.