Holidays 2025
Dear Friend of the St Francis Living Room,
My name is Aaron Frank, and I am currently serving as an on-site volunteer turned board member at St Francis Living Room. I’m sharing my experience at the invitation of our Executive Director Pierre Smit.
The end of the year is quickly approaching which brings with it time for pause and reflection. The past year was certainly filled with global headlines which remind us that we’re living through a volatile moment in the story of human history. Our global systems, institutions, and structures are coming under increasing strain as we adapt to a planet undergoing a range of environmental and social changes. It can certainly feel challenging to confront the onslaught of global emergencies many are facing around the world.
But as we continue to see global headlines telling us about current events across our planet, I’m also reminded how small the worlds of our immediate communities really are.
It’s here at 350 Golden Gate Avenue on a relatively non-descript street in the heart of just one neighborhood in San Francisco, where our neighbors and friends are facing the consequences of these global changes. Each morning, we welcome the tired yet cheerily warm faces of our homeless and low-income seniors for a hot meal, friendly conversation, and some time to relax off the complicated streets of the Tenderloin district.
The news is filled with stories including those about the policy changes of our federal government, which in 2025 made significant cuts to federal block grants which typically fund cities like San Francisco which in turn fund organizations like ours. But to witness the real impacts of these changes means coming to spend time with our guests, many of whom are on the streets with few (and now diminishing) resources to navigate things as simple as finding their next meal.
Despite these hardships, one of the most uplifting benefits of spending time with our guests is a reminder that those facing the biggest struggles are often the ones bringing the most warmth, care, and optimism to our communities.
I joined St Francis Living Room as a volunteer after living in San Francisco for over a decade. I’ve walked through the streets of the Tenderloin many times, usually as quickly as
Over, please
possible. Now after spending so much time with the people living in this part of our city, I’ve developed a much stronger sense of my place as a member of a rich and diverse community here in the City. Seeing just how resilient, kind, and caring our guests are, despite their hardships, is an inspiring thing to see.
So as 2025 draws to a close, and while the world faces challenges that are unlikely to disappear soon, we at the St. Francis Living Room are reflecting on just how small our community is relative to the rest of the world. The headlines seen on global news programs are made very real and tangible here in the Tenderloin.
The St. Francis Living Room has now been in operation for 39 years (nearly four decades!) and it is thanks to our supporters like you who sustain our efforts.
If you have the capacity, I invite you to extend your support to a small, hard-hit community here in San Francisco. In the vastness of our world, this may seem like just one small corner—but it’s close to my heart, and it’s become something deeply special to all of us at St. Francis Living Room.
It is with deep gratitude that we also extend warm holiday wishes to you and your family and a thank you for helping us continue our work here. If you wish to continue to support us here is how you can help:
· Send a check in the enclosed reply envelope.
· Open our website at www.sflivingroom.org, click DONATE and choose a one-time gift, or become a monthly or quarterly supporter.
· Include the St. Francis Living Room in your estate planning. Contact our Board President, jonathan@sflivingroom.org for more details.
Wishing you all a beautiful and joyous holiday season.
Warmest Regards,
Aaron Frank