Carrying the Trays: A Volunteer’s Story 

May 21, 2025

“Volunteering at St. Anthony’s isn’t for everyone, but it’s a perfect fit for me,” says Diane Horowitz who has been serving food in the St. Anthony’s dining room for over 20 years.  

Diane retired early; a visual impairment affected her work as a cancer researcher for UCSF. A colleague “across the bench” at her lab suggested helping out at St. Anthony’s, so she signed up for the orientation and never looked back.  

“I go in at 9:00 a.m. every Tuesday and Thursday,” she says. Doors open at 10 and we’re on the move until service is over at 1:30 p.m.” Diane serves diners who use wheelchairs and walkers, plus families with children, carrying trays piled with healthy food that nourishes and helps to heal the many guests struggling with poverty, addiction and homelessness.  

Diane says she has a basic principle: no one should go hungry. The St. Anthony’s dining room founder shared this same conviction. In fact, when Fr. Alfred Boedekker started the service in 1950, he had no doubt that a shared meal in a welcoming space could be provided for anyone in the Tenderloin. What began as a humble sandwich handout now serves over 1,000 meals every day in a bright, clean dining room that invites comfort and camaraderie and often a path forward to health, recovery and stability. 

Many diners connect to other essential services at the same location. For example, the medical clinic began in a cramped storage room right next to the dining room, offering an easy point of access to the health care that can be life changing. Just steps away are a range of other services, from the hygiene hub and the free clothing program to a tech lab and job prep classes.  

Meanwhile, guests continue to pour into the dining room where Diane and hundreds of other volunteers keep the doors open and the trays moving every day. Ultimately, it’s about connection, she says. “I try and meet people where they are. I know a lot of guests by name, and they know me, too. But some people don’t want to talk or make eye contact, and that’s fine.” Like other volunteers, Diane has a finely tuned sense of compassion and respect for personal boundaries. That might mean offering a smile and a warm greeting–or simply keeping her distance. Especially among guests with mental health challenges, her combination of perceptiveness and empathy is especially important.   

With two decades of service experience, Diane says she enjoys guiding new volunteers through the process and onto the dining room floor. Many young student volunteers are new to the neighborhood and its residents and unsure how—or if—to interact with guests.

“I tell them to just smile. And remember that every diner is someone’s mother, a sister, a brother or an uncle. And everyone has something to teach us.” 

In San Francisco, one in five adults lacks the resources to provide food for themselves or their families. In the Tenderloin district where St. Anthony’s is located, that number is as high as one in two. Visitors to the dining room appreciate the help, the quality of the meals and the choices—all with no strings attached and no questions asked. The dining room also hosts a weekly Farmer’s Market providing groceries to hundreds of low-income residents and seniors. In addition, St. Anthony’s Resource Center hosts a supplemental food pantry where qualified individuals, seniors and families can stock their cupboards while also getting help with new I.D’s or applying for benefits.  

The food, the friendship, the services that support so many San Franciscans are only possible because of individuals like Diane and the many donors who make her work possible. Because St. Anthony’s is funded primarily by private donations, the dining room can respond creatively to basic human needs. From vegetarian options to family-friendly seating, the dining room strives to offer not only sustenance, but the dignity of choice, whatever a guest’s circumstances.  

While the facts of poverty and hunger are stark, Diane believes a little kindness and connection can go a long way toward making someone’s day a little brighter. And that includes savoring the time spent with her fellow dining room volunteers. One of her favorite spots is the break room, where, after a long shift, tired feet are rested, stories are swapped, and laughter comes easily. It may seem like a small thing, but in those moments, something larger is at work. The Tenderloin, the guests, the volunteers, the food that brings them all together—everything is connected. Everyone is lifted. And for a little while, it feels like all the pieces fit and this is what community is meant to be.  

Your support connects individuals and families to the stabilizing services that are essential and transformative. Please help us continue uplifting San Franciscans with hope, stability and renewal by donating today.