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st. francis soup kitchen not humane!
It is not humane to provide a shower with out a towel. soup kitchen how about dinning room.
I took a shower at St. francis soup kitchen. they have no towels so you just put your clothes on wet body. they have a washer and drier but expect homeless to provide there own towel. Out side Santa Cruz, Ca people are shocked at there practices. I am still suffering from the skin rash i received because of there non humane practices. I was turned down when I asked to volunteer. What can you expect I guess from a place that still uses the negative term soup kitchen. I wonder if their director uses a towel when he showers. homeless people have a tuff time maintaining a sleeping bag let alone towels.
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Friday Mar 28th, 2008 6:36 AM
Methinks this could be another joke on the newswire; April Fool's Day is fast upon us!
Friday Mar 28th, 2008 9:37 AM
Why don't we contact the shelter and see if they need the community to do a towel drive? Its sometimes easier to get teh public to donate stuff instead of money.
Friday Mar 28th, 2008 1:47 PM
By the way, here is a tragedy involving homeless in Olympia WA (where it is snowing today)
http://www.theolympian.com/breakingnews/story/402253.html
http://www.theolympian.com/breakingnews/story/402253.html
Friday Mar 28th, 2008 4:35 PM
Thanks, Blackjack, for posting your concerns.
Don't be intimidated by the bilious blather from bigoted bullies.
Feel free to call in to Free Radio on my show Sunday 9:30 AM to 1 PM at 101.1 FM (http://www.freakradio.org) at 831-427-3772.
And if others have had similar experiences, invite them to call in as well.
Mr. Pendergrass is also invited to call in, of course.
Don't be intimidated by the bilious blather from bigoted bullies.
Feel free to call in to Free Radio on my show Sunday 9:30 AM to 1 PM at 101.1 FM (http://www.freakradio.org) at 831-427-3772.
And if others have had similar experiences, invite them to call in as well.
Mr. Pendergrass is also invited to call in, of course.
Saturday Mar 29th, 2008 10:28 AM
Offering free showers to people who are unlikely to have free towels and not providing some way to dry off is not just humiliating it probably also contributes to skin infections and even people getting sick.
Just because someone provides something for free doesn't mean they don't have a responsibility to make sure what they offer wont cause other problems for those they aim to be helping. You wouldn't offer free diabetes medicine to homeless diabetics and make them provide their own (perhaps even used) needles.
You also have to consider that complaints about free services are often complaints about people who make more money off the poor than they give to the poor. Most charities start off with somewhat good intentions but the people who work there and managers are paid and it is just a job so after awhile it becomes a matter of doing enough to keep ones jobs and the homeless and people that are being helped are actively disliked by the workers and management (creating a strange dynamic where it wouldn't be surprising if some of these negative comments were from management at St Francis... would could provide towels and change things to work better for those in need without much of a cost but resist since they don't want outsiders even homeless outsiders to be telling them how to run their business).
Just because someone provides something for free doesn't mean they don't have a responsibility to make sure what they offer wont cause other problems for those they aim to be helping. You wouldn't offer free diabetes medicine to homeless diabetics and make them provide their own (perhaps even used) needles.
You also have to consider that complaints about free services are often complaints about people who make more money off the poor than they give to the poor. Most charities start off with somewhat good intentions but the people who work there and managers are paid and it is just a job so after awhile it becomes a matter of doing enough to keep ones jobs and the homeless and people that are being helped are actively disliked by the workers and management (creating a strange dynamic where it wouldn't be surprising if some of these negative comments were from management at St Francis... would could provide towels and change things to work better for those in need without much of a cost but resist since they don't want outsiders even homeless outsiders to be telling them how to run their business).
Saturday Mar 29th, 2008 11:52 AM
Sounds like if a charity cannot supply full service. rather than partial service, to placate those that are offended they should just stop supplying the service altogether. They try to offer showers to those in need, but cannot supply all the utensils for the function. Sounds like the answer to make people happy would be to stop supplying the shower.
Should the Food Bank be criticized because they do not supply an oven or microwave to everyone?
Is it better to offer nothing at all if you can't supply 100%? What about those that do have a towel?
Should the Food Bank be criticized because they do not supply an oven or microwave to everyone?
Is it better to offer nothing at all if you can't supply 100%? What about those that do have a towel?
Saturday Mar 29th, 2008 1:50 PM
If you served food but couldn't provide clean plates and made people sick then you probably shouldn't provide the service, In this case they could put up signs telling people where to find cheap towels but giving people who need to clean up access to a shower without making it clear that there is no way to dry off afterwards is pretty bad. Since there are some risk of skin diseases when one doesn't have a way to easily change clothes and one puts on wet clothes, requiring people to have a towel to use the showers would be one way to go.
If I have to go to the DMV and there is no bathroom you could make it sound like I'm demanding way too much to require they have bathrooms at a place solely intended for car registration but if average wait times can be several hours it clearly should be a requirement...
What weird about the comments above is that instead of trying to come up with solutions, those who work at this soup kitchen are acting hostile to a homeless person who is bringing up a problem in the way service is provided. The truth is that this soup kitchen is paid to provide service to the homeless and should be receptive to problems homeless people have with the service. The people at St Francis are not doing this out of the goodness of their hearts for the most part and just as with DMV workers who are paid with government money those being served should be able to suggest changes in how service is provided without facing this level of hostility.
If I have to go to the DMV and there is no bathroom you could make it sound like I'm demanding way too much to require they have bathrooms at a place solely intended for car registration but if average wait times can be several hours it clearly should be a requirement...
What weird about the comments above is that instead of trying to come up with solutions, those who work at this soup kitchen are acting hostile to a homeless person who is bringing up a problem in the way service is provided. The truth is that this soup kitchen is paid to provide service to the homeless and should be receptive to problems homeless people have with the service. The people at St Francis are not doing this out of the goodness of their hearts for the most part and just as with DMV workers who are paid with government money those being served should be able to suggest changes in how service is provided without facing this level of hostility.
Saturday Mar 29th, 2008 2:49 PM
Like the comment above, maybe we can have a little towel drive, where people can donate old towels (ones that otherwise may be turned into rags).
It's as simple as someone putting up a few flyers up around town encouraging people to donate towels to the shelter, and bam!
Unless you think that maybe the kitchen would have some sort of policy against distributing old towels? Or maybe, they don't have laundry facilities to wash and reuse the towels....
Any ideas?
It's as simple as someone putting up a few flyers up around town encouraging people to donate towels to the shelter, and bam!
Unless you think that maybe the kitchen would have some sort of policy against distributing old towels? Or maybe, they don't have laundry facilities to wash and reuse the towels....
Any ideas?
Saturday Mar 29th, 2008 4:49 PM
"Or maybe, they don't have laundry facilities to wash and reuse the towels.... " I do not know if they do or they don't, but laundry of the towels would be a concern. As Blackjack stated, "homeless people have a tuff time maintaining a sleeping bag let alone towels."
"...people can donate old towels (ones that otherwise may be turned into rags)." A towel drive is a fine idea. However, instead of putting out a call for old towels destined to be rags... it would be more polite, humane if you will, to put a call out for new towels or ones that are in 'like-new' condition. The same thing is true with "north-south" solidarity efforts, etc..
"...people can donate old towels (ones that otherwise may be turned into rags)." A towel drive is a fine idea. However, instead of putting out a call for old towels destined to be rags... it would be more polite, humane if you will, to put a call out for new towels or ones that are in 'like-new' condition. The same thing is true with "north-south" solidarity efforts, etc..
Saturday Mar 29th, 2008 7:15 PM
That would be great, but I'm thinking that not many people would be willing to donate almost new towels...I know that I couldn't, but you're right, that would be much nicer.
Anyways maybe blackjack could team up with someone to make some flyers?
Anyways maybe blackjack could team up with someone to make some flyers?
Sunday Mar 30th, 2008 5:41 AM
Why Mr Norse, you called me a bigoted bully. Now what in your mind makes a bigot. Why one who don't believe the things that you believe. I wouldn't listen to anything called freak radio, don't need ignorance spewed by progressive idiots poisoning the air. I think you would make a better valet at the soup kitchen than a radio host. At least in the kitchen you could speak and more than 2 people would be able to hear you, unlike the radio program that can't be heard more than 3 blocks from where it originates. You may give a shit about this whining moron, crying about not having towels, I don't, and never will. I too have been homeless, hungry and broke. But you can bet your ass I managed to tend to my personal hygiene and didn't whine about it.
Sunday Mar 30th, 2008 8:42 AM
No - 101.1FM actually has a pretty wide radio range. It's music programming is consistently top notch, and I listen for Democracy Now every day at 8am because the signal is better than KPFA at 94.1.
By the way, some people were arrested for the burning deaths of the two homeless in Olympia (where it is snowing again today) so maybe it was actually a murder.
Associated Press
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) - Three transients have been arrested in the deaths of two homeless men whose burned bodies were found in a wooded area in Olympia.
Bryan D. Eke and Tommy L. Crow, both 33, and 23-year-old Christopher J. Durga are being held at the Thurston County Jail on suspicion of second-degree murder and second-degree arson.
Olympia Police Cmdr. Tor Bjornstad says the suspects lived in a tent close to the victims and had an "ongoing conflict" with them. He says at least 10 to 15 transients live in the area.
Bjornstad says two of the suspects acknowledge assaulting the victims about 2 a.m. on Friday and say as the suspects were leaving, the victims' tent appeared to have caught fire. He says the men did not intervene.
By the way, some people were arrested for the burning deaths of the two homeless in Olympia (where it is snowing again today) so maybe it was actually a murder.
Associated Press
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) - Three transients have been arrested in the deaths of two homeless men whose burned bodies were found in a wooded area in Olympia.
Bryan D. Eke and Tommy L. Crow, both 33, and 23-year-old Christopher J. Durga are being held at the Thurston County Jail on suspicion of second-degree murder and second-degree arson.
Olympia Police Cmdr. Tor Bjornstad says the suspects lived in a tent close to the victims and had an "ongoing conflict" with them. He says at least 10 to 15 transients live in the area.
Bjornstad says two of the suspects acknowledge assaulting the victims about 2 a.m. on Friday and say as the suspects were leaving, the victims' tent appeared to have caught fire. He says the men did not intervene.
Sunday Mar 30th, 2008 10:33 AM
Although I think that Saint Francis does a fairly good job, by Santa Cruz standards. But it is very importaunt for everyones health that with clean showers , clean towels be dispersed if only to thwart the MRSA problem that is raging throughout Santa Cruz's hospitals, shelters, nursing homes and homeless populous. You do not want them bring in their own towels. This disease is spreading quickly, and its getting worse and worse. It is also just simply the right thing to do, treating people with dignity. It saves the hospitals money and helps the spread of a horrible disease.
Tim Rumford
Tim Rumford
Sunday Mar 30th, 2008 1:19 PM
FreakRadio reaches all the way to Watsonville on my $3.00 radio. About 15-20 miles not three blocks. I buy everything I can used. You will find an array of things on the station, some I love, some I do not -- but it beats the main stream media who feed us media that we don't need to hear, with commercials for things we don't need, like what Paris Hilton did last night, or the latest pill to make you feel... better. ( Beware of anal bleeding, suicidal thoughts, or a hard on that last ten hours)
Had you listened to the show, you would have learned he invited you because you were censored by indybay and despite your different views, Robert feels everyone should be able to post comments without them being deleted. He was giving you that chance. If you think Freak Radio is progressive, look around indybay. Where do you think you are posting at?
The issue is health concerns at shelters. Like many have pointed out, if you provide a service, free or not, you must do it with health in mind. I have in the past fed once a week for nine months using my own program, food, supplies with much appreciated help and volunteers. We used clean plates, clean food, and made sure we cleaned up when we were done. That was our responsibility. I was not getting grants or getting paid, but it was still my responsability to provide garbage bags, clean plates and good food that did not make people sick.
In this case, one homeless person has the guts to bring out the issue and you simply snub him, nice. I have seen so many skin problems among the homeless, its horrible. Old towels, used towels and unclean towels are one great way to spread such diseases as MRSA. MRSA is a staph flesh eating skin disease. It is easily spread. Places that provide services need to make sure the help they provide is safe and healthy.
If you hate media such as freakradio, what the hell are you doing here?
Tim Rumford
Had you listened to the show, you would have learned he invited you because you were censored by indybay and despite your different views, Robert feels everyone should be able to post comments without them being deleted. He was giving you that chance. If you think Freak Radio is progressive, look around indybay. Where do you think you are posting at?
The issue is health concerns at shelters. Like many have pointed out, if you provide a service, free or not, you must do it with health in mind. I have in the past fed once a week for nine months using my own program, food, supplies with much appreciated help and volunteers. We used clean plates, clean food, and made sure we cleaned up when we were done. That was our responsibility. I was not getting grants or getting paid, but it was still my responsability to provide garbage bags, clean plates and good food that did not make people sick.
In this case, one homeless person has the guts to bring out the issue and you simply snub him, nice. I have seen so many skin problems among the homeless, its horrible. Old towels, used towels and unclean towels are one great way to spread such diseases as MRSA. MRSA is a staph flesh eating skin disease. It is easily spread. Places that provide services need to make sure the help they provide is safe and healthy.
If you hate media such as freakradio, what the hell are you doing here?
Tim Rumford
Friday Apr 17th, 2009 3:46 PM
I am dismayed by both the tone and content of the above article. St. Francis simply does not have the resources to provide every person in need of a shower with a towel as well. You are welcome to bring your own. As for being turned down as a volunteer, that should not be taken personally. Sometimes a large group from a school or old folks home will get there early in the day, making drop in volunteers redundant. Many of our volunteers are homeless themselves, so assuming you were discriminated against because of that is ridiculous. And since when is the term "soup kitchen" derogatory? We are a kitchen. We serve primarily soup. Hence the term "soup kitchen". All guests who come to St. Francis are treated with respect and dignity, as befits a fellow human being. I am sorry if you feel you were mistreated, be assured all who work there are motivated only by a desire to do good, not to belittle or degrade our guests.
Thursday May 27th, 2010 10:37 AM
anybody who has been force to endure the streets of san francisco, and had to shower at MSE south , ( aka 5th and bryant)
will tell you , ... be happy yer getting a shower period, ya wash , ya put yer clothes on wet, and ya deal with it
YER HOMELESS !! did you think it would be easy.. ?? the city closed "39 fell" in 2008, which was even more digusting,
most state beaches have those cold water showrs for swimmers, on a warm day ... scrub up with a pair of shorts and deal with it , it is this feeling of being able to endure rough times , and resorsful ness that will pull you out of yer nose dive , expecting agencies to pamper you... will only leave you weak when now is the time to be as tough as you've ever been ,
don't get me wrong I'm on yer side , ... just tough up !!
will tell you , ... be happy yer getting a shower period, ya wash , ya put yer clothes on wet, and ya deal with it
YER HOMELESS !! did you think it would be easy.. ?? the city closed "39 fell" in 2008, which was even more digusting,
most state beaches have those cold water showrs for swimmers, on a warm day ... scrub up with a pair of shorts and deal with it , it is this feeling of being able to endure rough times , and resorsful ness that will pull you out of yer nose dive , expecting agencies to pamper you... will only leave you weak when now is the time to be as tough as you've ever been ,
don't get me wrong I'm on yer side , ... just tough up !!
Tuesday Jun 14th, 2011 2:40 PM
in response to blackjack
i've been there.
i've served food at st. francis. i cant believe that you're complaining about not having a towel. bring your own. skin rash? what do you expect? you're using a community shower. thats part of the risk.
you're already getting food for free. the people there are some of the most giving and christlike people that i have ever met.
your complaints tell me that you're just a user of the system.
please dont talk bad about st. francis or anyone else. they are doing their best and i am grateful for them.
i've been there.
i've served food at st. francis. i cant believe that you're complaining about not having a towel. bring your own. skin rash? what do you expect? you're using a community shower. thats part of the risk.
you're already getting food for free. the people there are some of the most giving and christlike people that i have ever met.
your complaints tell me that you're just a user of the system.
please dont talk bad about st. francis or anyone else. they are doing their best and i am grateful for them.
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