The Salvation Army extends daily homeless meal delivery & adds safe sleeping sites.
The Salvation Army Extends Daily Citywide Homeless Relief and Impact Services Teams One More Month
In partnership with the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, The Salvation Army extends daily homeless meal delivery, and adds delivery to Safe Sleeping Sites
San Francisco, CA. – Since mid-April, The Salvation Army, in partnership with the San Francisco Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH), has been delivering two meals daily to people experiencing homelessness and living in encampments in San Francisco. To date, through MealsinPlaceSF, nearly 35,000 meals have been delivered. The program is being extended until mid-June. In addition, The Salvation Army has added daily deliveries of breakfast, lunch and dinner to the Safe Sleeping Site located at Hyde and Fulton. Other sites are under discussion.
The Salvation Army is serving more than 785 homeless people daily with prepared meals and snacks delivered directly to more than 51 outdoor locations in San Francisco. The Salvation Army’s Citywide Homeless Relief & Impact Service Team is comprised of six response units that transport and deliver the meals directly to people throughout the city experiencing homelessness during the pandemic. The goal of this program is to improve food security and minimize COVID 19 exposure by supporting people living outside and increasing their ability to shelter in place.
Volunteers are needed daily (Monday- Saturday) to help package and distribute the fresh meals as part of MealsInPlaceSF. Volunteers can register on-line through www.volunteer.usawest.org.
“We’ve been finding that people we are serving are afraid and confused, and everyone is grateful for a meal and a bottle of water. We hear thank you a lot and see many smiles when we come around with the meals and a kind word. It’s part of our mission to serve the community, especially those in need, during a crisis,” said Captain Matthew Madsen, regional director for The Salvation Army in San Francisco. “For a lot of our volunteers, it’s been a dose of
reality. This situation has exposed the depth and breadth of the complex, homeless challenge that we have in this city and is providing them with a newfound perspective on the crisis. And for our regular volunteers, this opportunity is giving them a sense of purpose during the pandemic in that they are able to do something and give back in an impactful way.”
“Providing food security directly to encampments and unhoused people struggling on our streets is an essential component in expanding Shelter in Place accessibility and enabling the most vulnerable people in our community to participate in social distancing,” said Abigail Stewart-Kahn, Director of San Francisco’s Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing. “We are grateful to The Salvation Army for their innovative partnership, resources and commitment to making everyone safer during this crisis.”
In addition to meals, The Salvation Army will be providing emotional and spiritual care, as well as distributing hygiene kits and dog food.
The Salvation Army continues to house 700 people every night, through its residential, transitional living and adult rehabilitation programs. In all of the programs and services, the Army is following the recommendations set forth by the CDC, HUD and local health and government officials to keep its facilities, employees and those it serves safe.
Please see below for a list of special services The Salvation Army is providing in San Francisco and help spread the word about the need for volunteers and donations.
San Francisco County
• The Salvation Army Harbor Light Center: 1275 Harrison St., San Francisco, CA
o Operations are normal for serving substance abuse treatment programs & family shelter.
o All Harbor Light Program & Recovery Wellness Service Participants are no longer going to outside AA meetings.
o The Harbor Light Center has place stringent directives for people coming on campus. All personnel are asked to frequently sanitize or wash their hands in addition to workspaces.
o Weekly Homeless Outreach has been postponed until further notice. o Worshipservicesarerestrictedtoin-houseresidents.
• The Salvation Army Kroc Center and Railton Place: 240 Turk Street, San Francisco, CA
a) The Salvation Army Kroc Center
o Community programs cancelled
▪ All KrocFit Classes including Strings & Ballet Programs ▪ After School Program
▪ All Rentals
▪ Cancelled Senior Meal Programs
o SteamingSundayServices
o Continuing seeing clients: Tuesday-Friday 8:30 – 4:00 pm o FridayFoodPantry–7amto10am
▪ Volunteers sorting & bagging the food – 7 am ▪ Distribution – 8:15 am to 10 am
o To-gocbreakfast and lunch meals for children ages 17 and under
b) Railton Place
o Continue to provide housing for its residents at the 110 unit transitional and permanent housing residence.
o Friday Food Market – 8:30 am to 10:30 am
▪ Sort – 8:30 am
▪ Bagging – 9 am
▪ Distribute – 10 am, door to door at Railton Place.
South of Market Corps Community Center:
360 4th St, San Francisco, CA o FridayFoodPantry–8am to 10am
Mission Location:
1156 Valencia St., San Francisco, CA.
o FoodPantry
▪ Thursday and Friday – 7 – 10 am ▪ Sortandbag–7-8am
▪ Providefood–8–10am
The Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center:
1500 Valencia St., San Francisco, CA.
o Continue to provide residential drug and alcohol rehabilitation services to more than
112 men.
How You Can Help:
Those who are unable to give their time can still help us meet the needs in their community by making a monetary donation. All of our community centers, facilities and programs need support to continue serving the most vulnerable populations. Donate online at goldenstate.salvationarmy.org
Text ‘HOPE’ to 52000 to donate $10 to The Salvation Army.
Gift in Kind donations needed: Non-perishable food, water, cleaning supplies, bags,
boxes, paper towels, toilet paper, masks and gloves.
The Salvation Army runs on volunteer power. Those interested and able to donate their
time to help others during this trying time should email Volunteer Manager Melissa
Doppler at Melissa.doppler@usw.salvationarmy.org
Corporations and foundations looking to get involved in the COVID-19 relief effort
should contact Ernst Bauer at ernst.bauer@usw.salvationarmy.org or call 415.716.6680.
About The Salvation Army:
Since 1883, The Salvation Army has been transforming lives throughout the Greater Bay Area. The Red Kettle Campaign started in San Francisco in 1891 and is in its 129th year and is the largest and longest- running fundraiser of its kind. It raised $142.7 million nationwide during the 2019 campaign. The Salvation Army annually helps more than 23 million Americans overcome poverty, addiction and economic hardships through a range of social services. Locally, they serve more than 500,000 people annually in the Greater Bay Area. offering practical support, spiritual comfort and a critical safety net to people in need. The Salvation Army provides services to the homeless without discrimination regardless of ethnic or national origin, race, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation or immigration status.
For every dollar donated to The Salvation Army, 82 cents is used to support those services in facilities throughout the Bay Area. For more information go to www.sanfrancisco.salvationarmy.org or goldenstate.salvationarmy.org.
About the San Francisco Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing
San Francisco is a pioneer in homeless services and a leader in providing supportive housing as a permanent exit from homelessness. The San Francisco Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH) strives to make homelessness rare, brief and one time and seeks to be a national leader in the movement to end homelessness through a Homeless Response System comprising a coordinated, client-focused system of services, piloting innovative models, and implementing proven solutions with measurable results. Major programs include: street outreach and service connection through the Homeless Outreach Team; a robust shelter system for single adults and families including shelters for members of the LGBT community and survivors of domestic violence; Navigation Centers that provide temporary shelter for individuals and couples using a low-threshold model; rapid rehousing rental subsidies for families, adults, seniors and transitional aged youth; the Homeward Bound program which has helped 10,000 individuals return to stable housing in their city of origin; and robust supportive housing programs of nearly 7,500 units which provide permanent housing and services to formerly homeless individuals and families.
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