Christine Baker

HOW TO HELP

We have made adjustments to our dining room service protocol so that we can continue serving those in need in our community during the corona virus pandemic. Many supporters have asked how they can assist us while either sheltering in place or practicing enough social distancing to keep them and others safe. Below are a few suggestions of how you can continue helping us help others.

SANDWICHES

Make sandwiches at home and deliver them to the dining room. We can use up to 40-50 sandwiches, but any amount will be helpful and appreciated. We can use sandwiches Monday-Thursday. They can be delivered either in the morning between 6:00 – 7:00 am or in the evening after 5:oo pm.

SHOPPING FOR NEEDED SUPPLIES

We would greatly appreciate it if you could pick-up some needed supplies while you’re on your usual shopping outings. We are currently out of canned soup; very low on canned fruit; can also use fresh fruit; toilet paper and napkins are always needed (good luck there); we daily use hot cups and to go containers. Anything you could get would be a great help to our work.

MONEY

If you are unable to get out, we can always use monetary donations to help keep our work going. Checks can be made out to Catholic Worker Hospitality House. You can also donate through Paypal. Thank you.

PRAYERS

Please keep our guests and our work in your prayers.

As always, we thank you for all your ongoing support of our work with those in need in our community.

Peace,

Peter Stiehler

Dear Friends,

I usually start these appeal letters about three weeks before the mailing date and they get written without much difficulty.  This time however, I have had to rewrite this letter three times as rapidly changing events surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic have made what I had planned to write obsolete.  There is every possibility that what I’m writing now will be out of date by the time you receive it in early April as events seem to be changing almost daily.

As the reality of the pandemic set in, governments at all levels initially requested people cut back on their social interactions and then invoked “shelter in place” orders. Amidst all this we weren’t sure if we should or would be able to continue operating our dining room and homeless shelter.  The question faced us: “How do we respond to this emerging public health crisis and looming economic crisis?”

I learned from my experience at the Los Angeles Catholic Worker – where we lived through the AIDS crisis and the Los Angeles riots – that stopping our compassionate response to human suffering just wasn’t an option, no matter what. Our faith and our conscience demand we continue our work with those in need in our community.  With that in mind I am happy to announce that Catholic Worker Hospitality House remains open to serve those most in need in our community.   The “shelter in place” order recently issued by area governments, which has closed many events and businesses, does not apply to social service providers, so we continue feeding the hungry and sheltering the homeless.

We are very thankful for the support we continue to receive from St. Bruno’s Catholic Church where our dining room and shelter are located.  At a time when church services aren’t being celebrated and most churches are closing their meeting rooms to meal programs and other events, St. Bruno’s continues to live out their deep and abiding Catholic faith by being open to our “serving the body of Christ in our midst” through our dining room and homeless shelter.

In response to the health risks posed by COVID-19 we have changed how we operate our dining room and homeless shelter.  Until further notice we will no longer be a seated dining room, but will only serve food to go.   We will continue to offer our usual food choices: oatmeal, fruit, soup, casseroles, sandwiches, etc.  The only difference is they will be pre-packaged in to go containers to limit the risk of spreading the virus to guests, volunteers, or staff.   We will also continue offering hot coffee, milk, and water to our guests.

Sadly, we have temporarily halted our shower services, feeling it poses too great a risk of spreading the virus to our guests.  We do this with a heavy heart knowing how important it is for some of our guests to get cleaned up during our dining room serving hours.

We will continue shelter operations, but have reduced the number of guests at the shelter from eight to six to provide more space between guests.  We feel that closing the shelter at this time would just be putting people on the streets, making a bad situation worse.

Our boarding houses will continue to operate as usual, although with more emphasis placed on social distancing and cleaning.  Our Second Ave house has three residents over seventy, one of whom is going through radiation and chemotherapy treatments for cancer.  I worry about them.   At Chapman house all the residents are “young” (under sixty) and tend to self-isolate in the best of times, so I’m not so worried about that house.   I am worried that some of the residents are losing their jobs due to the emerging economic crisis created by the pandemic. While we charge a minimal rent at our boarding houses to make the housing sustainable, I have informed the residents that if they are laid-off due to “shelter in place” orders their rent will be suspended until they get back to work.  No one will lose housing due to lack of income.

We have also increased our regular cleaning procedures.  We are now cleaning all surfaces with the bleach-water mixture recommended by health officials before, during, and after our serving times.  We are also wearing gloves and washing our hands constantly.

We regret having to take the above precautions, but we do it with the best long-term interests of those we serve in mind.  These new procedures will remain in place until health officials feel it is once again safe for folks to congregate.

While I, along with the shelter staff and a couple of volunteers remain to do the work, we are totally supportive of our volunteers who have had to stop volunteering during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Most of our volunteers are either elderly, live with elderly, or have health issues that put them at risk. While we miss their presence and assistance we do not want them put them at risk. We know how difficult it is for them not to be there with us serving our guests.  We’re sure they’ll be back when it is safe for them to do so.

While I boldly announced earlier in this letter that we will not close because of the pandemic and will continue serving those in need in our community, there is one caveat.  What happens if we get sick? We are a small operation – I’m the only paid staff at the dining room now that Christine is on sick leave and at present we still only have two to three regular volunteers at the dining room.  Would a shelter staff person or one of the volunteers take over if I get incapacitated? Would we have to close the dining room due to lack of staffing? I don’t know the answers to these are questions, but we will delve into them in the coming days and weeks to come up with a contingency plan.

During this time we ask for your continued prayers for those we serve at our various service projects, for all those already exposed to the virus and who will be exposed to the virus in the coming days and months, and for all those who will be affected by the emerging economic crisis created by this pandemic.  We are living in extraordinary times, may our faith always continue to guide us.

In Christ’s Peace,

Peter Stiehler

Director

Catholic Worker Hospitality House

 

NEEDS

Individual packets of sugar and creamer

To Go hot soup containers and lids

Hand sanitizer

Toilet Paper

Napkins

12 & 16 oz. hot cups and lids

Canned Soup (very low!!)

Canned Fruit

Old-fashioned oatmeal

Coffee

Money, for our ongoing expenses

 

VACATION NOTICE

We remain open, but will be closing. As most of you know, we close our dining room and homeless shelter four to five times a year for staff and volunteer vacation. We will close Friday, April 17 after the dining room and reopen on Monday, April 20. So if you call or stop by during this time, we haven’t closed shop, we’re just on vacation.

 

FURTHER STEPS INTO THE 21ST CENTURY

I am a well-known technology dinosaur, but at the loving urging of my wife I am slowly entering the digital age. Here are our recent steps to modernize.

–FACEBOOK: We do have a Facebook page, but it has been dormant for a while. I have recently updated the page and have committed to posting regularly. It can be found at Catholic Worker Hospitality House of San Bruno. Join us and see what’s happening at Catholic Worker Hospitality House.

–EMAIL ADDRESSES: We will continue sending out our old-school paper appeal letters, but would like to develop an email mailing list so we can send updates on our work or special events. If you would like to be on our email list, then send your email to: cwhh@gmail.com. Thanks

–ONLINE GIVING: You can donate to Catholic Worker Hospitality House (one-time or recurring through PayPal or your workplace account on Benevity. Thank you for your continued support of our work with those in need in our community.

 

Catholic Worker Hospitality House remains open to serve those most in need in our community. The “shelter in place” order recently issued by area county governments, which has closed many events and businesses, does not apply to social service providers, so we are free to continue feeding the hungry and sheltering the homeless. However, we have changed how we operate our dining room and homeless shelter to respond to the very real dangers posed by the corona virus pandemic.

Until further notice we will no longer be a seated dining room, but will only serve food To Go. We will continue to offer our usual food choices: oatmeal, fruit, soup, casseroles, sandwiches, etc. The only difference is they will be pre-packaged in to go containers to limit the risk of spreading the virus to guests, volunteers, or staff. We will also continue offering hot coffee, milk, and water to our guests.

We will continue shelter operations, but will be reducing the number of guests at the shelter from 8 to 6 to provide more space between guests. We feel that closing the shelter at this time would just be putting people on the streets, making a bad situation worse.

We have increased our regular cleaning procedures. We are now cleaning all surfaces with the bleach-water mixture recommended by health officials before, during, and after our serving times. We are also washing our hands constantly.

At present we are continuing our shower services, but may have to limit or stop that service if it poses too great a risk of spreading the virus to our guests.

Our boarding houses will continue to operate as usual, although with more emphasis placed on social distancing and cleaning.

We regret having to take the above precautions, but we do it with the best long-term interests of those we serve in mind. These new procedures will remain in place until health officials feel it is once again safe for folks to congregate.

We are very thankful for the support we continue to receive from St. Bruno’s Catholic Church where our dining room and shelter are located. At a time when other churches are closing their church halls to meal programs and outside meetings, St. Bruno’s continues to live out their deep and abiding Catholic faith by being open to our “serving the body of Christ in our midst.”

During this time we ask for your continued prayers for those we serve, for our ongoing service projects, and for all those already exposed to the virus and who will be exposed to the virus in the coming days and months. We are living in extraordinary times, may our faith always continue to guide us.

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone says they have faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?  If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it?  So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.                                                                                             –James 2:14-17                 

FEBRUARY 2020

Dear Friends,

In late January Catholic Worker Hospitality House bid a sad farewell to our long-time volunteer Lioba Moulton who moved to Tracy, CA to live with her recently widowed sister.  Twenty years ago Lioba started delivering soup and sandwiches to our dining room once a week. Immediately, there was a marked improvement in the quality of our breakfast, which was definitely noticed and appreciated by our guests.  “Who made the soup today? It’s much better than usual.” Upon retirement, Lioba was soon coming to the dining room two to three days a week with soup, sandwiches, trays of scrambled eggs, hot dogs, casseroles for the shelter dinner, apple crisp and other dessert items, and whatever else she could get donated from her local grocery store.  Without having to go to work she was able to stay to serve the food she brought. In short time Lioba became an integral part of the dining room community.

Guests and volunteers alike will miss Lioba’s regular delicious food contributions to the dining room, but we doubt she is gone for good.  Knowing Lioba we fully expect her to occasionally show up with tasty food for our morning serving. Service is just such a part of who she is.

Catholic Worker Hospitality House is neither the first nor the only place Lioba has been of service. When her son was young, she was active in his schools, as well as his various extra-curricular activities; for decades she has been active at St. Peter’s Parish in Pacifica, particularly in the RCIA program; when she worked South of Market in San Francisco she would regularly make and deliver sack lunches for folks living on the street outside of her office building.  Lioba epitomizes a life of service motivated by a deep and abiding faith that is an integral part of her daily life. If faith without works is dead then Lioba’s faith is alive and well.

While we appreciate Lioba for all the food she brings us, we’ve grown to love her for the joyful, loving presence she brings to our dining room.  One would think that life around Catholic Worker Hospitality House would be grim and dour. We’re dealing with people who lack material resources, many of who are homeless, and many who might be dealing with substance abuse and/or mental health issues. It just seems like a recipe for a depressing environment.  But surprisingly it is a very joyful place. While we take our work seriously, the staff and volunteers are unusually happy and playful, which seems to rub off on those we serve. Lioba epitomizes this joyfulness. Where does all this joy come from? I think it has to do with the nature of being of service to others. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in our own petty concerns. But when we get beyond our own self-seeking and selfishness, when we focus on serving others, when we are engaged in something bigger than ourselves that doesn’t necessarily benefit us, then a certain joy enters our life. A joy that is infectious and transforming.

I know I’m preaching to the choir with this letter.  If you’re reading this you’re probably already actively engaged in a life of service to others, along with having a deep and abiding faith.  I’m also sure many of you have heard your own story in this letter, “Yep, that me. School, check. Church, check. Direct service to those in need, check.”  You know the benefits of service: strangers become friends, a broadening of life by experiencing new places, people and ideas, which leads to more engaged and full life.

As always, we thank you all for your ongoing support of our work with those in need.  Your kindness helps us continue being of service to others through the daily practice of the Works of Mercy.

In Loving Service,

Peter Stiehler

For all of us at Catholic Worker Hospitality House

 

CANCELLED DUE TO CONCERNS SURROUNDING COVID-19

JOIN US FOR A BOOK READING of  TO SERVE THE PEOPLE by LeRoy Chatfield

St. Bruno’s Catholic Church, St. Gabriel’s Hall

Friday, March 20 at 7:30 pm

Please join us for an entertaining and informative evening as LeRoy Chatfield will be reading from his book To Serve The People: My Life Organizing With Cesar Chavez and the Poor and sharing stories from his remarkable life over fifty years of service in the struggle for justice and equality. LeRoy is a former organizer who worked with Cesar Chaves to get union recognition for California farmworkers, managed the Northern California general election campaign for Jerry Brown in 1974, organized the California Conservation Corps, and built the largest volunteer charitable organization in Sacramento (Loaves and Fishes) to feed the hungry and shelter the homeless, among many other activities. He is also the father of Catholic Worker Hospitality House co-founder Kate Chatfield.

 

CHRISTMAS 2019

 

Dear Friends,

 

The liturgical seasons of Advent and Christmas are a time of hope and renewal in the face of a dark and despairing world.  God promises that if we choose to renew our lives and follow the way of peace and justice he will transform our lives and, in the process, society.  That transformation begins when God enters into relationship with creation in a special way through the birth of Jesus in a manger in Bethlehem. How strange that such an everyday event can have such world changing consequences.

But it sounds too good to be true.  And many of us can’t really believe this promise.  “I mean, come on God, look at the state of the world!  How will it ever be a place of peace and justice? Do you really think I can be transformed?  Do you know what kind of person I am? What I’ve done in my past and continue to do? No way can my miserable life be transformed.  And in no way am I worthy of your transformative presence in my life.”

Yet we are worthy of God’s presence in our lives and we can be transformed if we only trust in God’s promises. I have seen it many times in our work at Catholic Worker Hospitality House.  I especially think of Bret, a long-time guest at the dining room and shelter, whose life has been dramatically transformed in the past few years.  For the first fifteen years we knew him he was a hopeless drunk — constantly in and out of rehab, but never seeming to find that elusive sobriety.  He would come stumbling into the dining room blind drunk or sheepishly come by looking for shelter when trying to dry out. We always did our best to help him since he is such a nice guy, but his apparently fruitless struggle was heartbreaking.

Then one day Bret showed up at the dining room after a two-year absence and his transformation was stunning. He was a new man with two years of sobriety and a full-time job—a product of the promises of Alcoholics Anonymous, the gift of his newfound relationship with God, and plenty of striving on his part.  He came to us that day looking for a place to live and, as luck would have it, we had an opening in one of our boarding houses. We moved him into the house hoping it would work out, but knowing his long-time struggles with alcohol we were a bit leery of his chances of success. For the first few months we all held our breath hoping he would be able to maintain sobriety and keep his job.  Every month when he came to pay rent he would ask me when he had to move out, I kept telling him, “This is permanent housing. As long as you pay rent and are a good roommate you have a home.” After years of shelters, rehab programs, and general housing insecurity a permanent home seemed unbelievable to him. Over three years later Bret still lives in the house, has kept the same job, and hasn’t gone out on a bender.  To me, this is a testament to the power of the Christmas promise–a true Christmas miracle.

In no way does Catholic Worker claim any credit for Bret’s success – it’s all him and God working together.  Our role over the years has been to help meet his basic needs for food and shelter, as well as moral support when he was struggling with his addiction; and to provide a place to live, and more moral support, once he transformed his life.  However, life is not a bed of roses for Bret — he still lives paycheck to paycheck and still struggles with sobriety, as well as with all the mundane issues of life that confronts us all. The difference is he’s now a free man and reasonably happy.  In a world where there is so much despair and hopelessness, Bret is a shining example of how a life can be transformed. His story gives us encouragement to continue in our work.

This summer Bret asked if he could pay rent in installments for a couple of months as he was hoping to make a dream trip to New York City.  My response was, “No, but I will give you a month’s free rent. I am so impressed with what you’ve accomplished over these past few years that I want to honor it by assisting with your dream vacation.”  Needless to say, Bret had a great trip to New York City.

We were able to be there for Bret and continue to be a source of comfort and encouragement for our other guests because of your past generous support of our work.  We hope that you will continue helping us help those in need in our community. Your generosity enables us to be a beacon of love and hope in a dark world.

 

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,

 

 

Peter Stiehler

For all of us at

Catholic Worker Hospitality House

 

 

CHRISTMAS DINNER NEEDS

Can you help us host our annual Christmas dinner for our guests by cooking part of the meal? We need:

–Ham, cooked and carved, enough for 10 people

–Potato dishes

–Milk or juice

–Cookies, pie, or cake

Please bring food donations between 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 p.m. Monday, December 23. We will be serving the meal between 11:30 – 1:30 p.m. that day. Food can be brought to our dining room at St. Bruno’s Church, located at 555 W. San Bruno Ave. in San Bruno. Please call us at (650) 827-0706 if you can bring anything or if you have any questions.  Thank You!

 

GIFT IDEAS

If you’re interested in providing a gift for one of our guests, may we suggest the following: sweatshirt, thermal underwear, hat and gloves, socks, or underwear. Whether homeless or housed, our guests spend a lot of time in the cold and would appreciate any of these items. Gift cards are also very much appreciated, especially for places where folks can pass the time: coffee houses, restaurants, movie theaters.

We thank you for your generosity in helping to make this holiday season special for our guests.