Project Everyday Connect Visits SF CARES

Project Everyday Connect is here at St. Paulus today doing free vision exams to folks with financial need  and no vision insurance.  They give their patients vouchers for glasses at Lens Crafters to get their prescriptions filled.  The PEC folks are so flexible and very helpful to our guests.  They even have transportation vouchers for people to get to the Lens Crafters where they can get their new glasses.  Some folks are able to get their glasses today.
 

Project Everyday Connect is an outgrowth of Project HomelessConnect.  Project Homeless Connect provides a periodic venue where folks can access a wide variety of services, including podiatry, optometry, medical, social services, legal, all in one place at one time.  SF CARES has provided foot washers and pastoral care there in the past.  These events are great on the days they operate, but of course people have needs 365 days a year, so Project Everyday Connect was born.  They are available by phone and email every day of the year and have appointments available Monday through Friday.  The PEC folks  work “directly with those seeking services, as well as with case managers & staff from other agencies, to make connections to those often hard-to-access resources, services & goods that can provide additional or necessary ingredients for a successful move out of homelessness, transition into housing, or avoidance of housing loss.”

All of SF CARES’ collaborators are able to refer folks for this event and the PEC folks will serve as many as ten to twenty people today.  This is only our second time hosting the Vision Van, but we are looking forward to another event until the needs of all of our folks are met.  Project Everyday Connect can connect people with vision care and other services year round.  They can be reached at 1-855-588-7968.  We're so glad to be partnering with Project Everyday Connect to provide this vital service for our folks.

Our Newest Project

Welcome has partnered with St. Francis Lutheran to help run their Sunday morning meal and the Senior Center on Wednesdays.

The Sunday Breakfast got its start fifteen years ago when St. Francis began serving coffee to their neighbors who live outside.  Soon doughnuts were added to the offering.  Over the years it became a full meal.  Most of the food is donated so St. Francis keeps its cost low.  The meal now feeds between 80 to 130 of their homeless and marginally housed neighbors, including families and children, each week. 

The Senior Center draws a dedicated group of seniors who enjoy visiting with each other, sharing lunch, and a game or other activity.  There is also a program that varies week by week, including such cool acts as a troupe of women in the 80’s who come and do dance routines, ballroom dancers, and a singer who gives pop quizzes on Judy Garland trivia.  The occasional motivational speaker visits as well.

We are delighted, as always, for another opportunity to feed people’s bodies and souls.  One of the things we’re trading to St. Francis for the opportunity to work with them is our promise to recruit some additional volunteers.

 We have quite a variety of tasks and shifts available:

 

Food to Sort

 On Saturday we need folks to:

• Receive food donations from 9:00am - 1:00pm
• Help do prep work for the Sunday morning meal, such as setting up, arranging flowers etc.
• Deliver food to other programs when we have more than we’ll need for Sunday.

On Sunday we need folks to:

• 5:00am - 7:00am: do morning kitchen support such as assisting the cook in preparing the meal for the day, and helping set up dessert trays
• 7:00am - 8:30am: serve coffee to our guests
• 7:00am - 8:30am: serve food to our guests
• 7:00am - 8:30am: do food pantry support such as help give away food pantry items and clothing to guests at the meal
• 8:00am -9:30am: help clean up such as help pick up trash around the neighborhood, do dishes, take out trash, clean toilets
• 9:00am -12:30pm: do guest support such as help support and de-escalate individuals with mental health, addiction, or hunger issues who are interested in attending Sunday morning services

For the Senior Center on Wednesdays we need folks to:

• 10am-2pm: do elder care and nursing support such as helping seniors in need of mobility assistance, answer questions about health questions and providing blood pressure readings for participants
• 10:00am -1:00pm: assist the cook in preparing the meal for the day
• 1:00pm -2:00pm: help pick up trash around the neighborhood, do dishes, take out trash, clean toilets

If any of these tasks sound like something you’re called to, let our Minister of Volunteers, Valerie, know either at 415-673-3572 or sfcares@welcomeministry.org and she’ll give you all the details and get you scheduled.