Thanksgiving week is the time for one of our Club’s favorite traditions, one that dates back more than ten years: Serving lunch to clients of The Arc of San Francisco and others.The day got off to an early start: Past Club President and Past District Governor Eric Schmautz met Lilian Tsi-Stielstra of our Club, her husband Scott Stielstra, and Jonathan Scopazzi from the Rotary Club of San Rafael at The Salvation Army’s South of Market commercial kitchen at 4:00 AM. They worked through the morning to roast 200 pounds of pork shoulder, cook 100 pounds of carrots, make a mountain of stuffing, prepare 5 gallons of gravy and decant 8.5 gallons of cranberry sauce.
They provided meals for residents and clients of The Salvation Army’s Harbor Light detox center before transporting the rest of the food to The Arc of San Francisco, where 50 Rotary volunteers were ready to spring into action. President Casey Blair was present to distribute a Rotary shirt to each Rotarian. Even Rotary 5150 District Governor Sue Rokaw came out to participate and to cheer on Team Rotary. Teams carved steaming trays of roast pork, cut up pre-baked quiches for vegetarians, sliced three dozen pumpkin pies, and organized it all for easy service.
Meanwhile, the first group of clients of The Arc gathered at tables in several rooms throughout the facility. Rotary volunteers delivered plates of food to the appreciative crowd. After they finished their meal, The Arc staff cleaned and reset the tables and then welcomed in another group of hungry clients.All in all, we provided a festive luncheon for nearly 500 people – the only holiday celebration meal for many of them.
While enjoying our own repast, we watched this year’s video about how providing internships to clients of The Arc is a win for both the client and the community.
Thanks to the San Francisco Rotary Foundation for underwriting the cost of these and other service projects at The Arc of San Francisco.Edited by Dora Dye