By Chris Corrigan
Director of Service Learning
Q: How do you reach out to the community beyond the school’s walls, bring people together for a good time, teach kids about the needy population of San Francisco and feed 400 people all in one fell swoop?
A: Ask Day School community members to pitch in and make it happen.
On Thanksgiving morning, parents, teachers, students, alums, grandparents, roommates, and friends all came together at the Day School cafeteria to participate in our first ever Thanksgiving meal preparation and distribution. Under the guidance of resident chef, Jason Tognetti, 400 meals were cooked, assembled, and distributed throughout the city. Recipients included the Mary Elizabeth Inn and the Verona Hotel, two residences supporting homeless women, which are located in the Tenderloin. Meals also went to the apartments of Mercy Terrace, a low-income senior housing facility here in the neighborhood. While of the majority of the meals were delivered to the dining hall, families also visited individual apartments to hand-deliver meals to those unable to leave their homes.
Although most of what Chef Tognetti prepared went to facilities who had requested the meals in advance, a large number were also hand-delivered to individuals in parks or on the streets of SF. Fanning out across the city, families passed out food to those who needed it the most. From Civic Center to Golden Gate Park to the Mission, our community jumped in to provide immediate assistance to folks who otherwise might have gone without this holiday.
The atmosphere of cooperation and giving evident throughout the event was something about which all members of this community should be proud. Although the meal preparation was originally planned to take roughly one and half hours, all boxed dinners were assembled, loaded and sent off for delivery in about half that time. This was truly a testimony to the focused efforts of all the participants.
It’s easy to talk about the fun, the camaraderie and the spirit of giving that was such a big part of the day, but I think we need to think beyond ourselves and the meals we put together. The most important contribution we made was a sense of community. By coming together and doing what we did, we let people throughout the city know that there are others who care about them. We offered a connection to those who have none and remembered those that may have felt forgotten. The food has been eaten and the meals are long gone. But the sense of hope and caring and belonging that we delivered will last far into the future. Thanks to everyone who joined us in creating this meaningful new tradition at SF Day School.
Click here to view photos.
