Grace Cathedral
Birds sang and chirped overhead while “urban garden” chickens clucked on the moist ground at Bayview Mission as volunteers gathered in the morning hours on Monday, March 12 in preparation for the Families with Infants & Toddlers Community Day program. Towers of packaged diapers, wipes, infant formula (and more) awaited placement into community “care bags” for our local families.
I greeted Roscoe, our dedicated volunteer whose history is entwined with Bayview Mission’s decade-plus roots, only to do a double-take on his beanie. “Your hat!” I exclaimed. My eyes widened and I gave in to laughter as I realized he was modeling one of our donations: a hand-crafted shark beanie that I had made for an event and then donated to Bayview Mission. The Rev. Canon Nina Pickerrell, our fearless and inspiring leader, called out, “Picture for the blog. Take a picture for the blog!” You just never know what you’ll find when we all get together. We work hard but we also connect and build valuable human relationships.
Meanwhile, Steph (our newer volunteer fresh from Australia!) and Cricket (another longtime supporter) created an assembly line and filled over forty bags with supplies and groceries in no time at all. I bow down in homage that they managed to not break a single egg in all the cartons that went to each family. Maria brewed more coffee for our crew and Steph encouraged her with, “We cannot find the meaning of life without coffee. We cannot find the will to go on!” Else set up to receive our families into the community area, organizing the paperwork in the way she is uniquely skilled in. Pablo, Mickey, Luz, Rob, Susan, and Wendy meanwhile worked on various other projects that included sorting donations and hanging jackets, pants, dresses and tops onto clothing racks set out in the sun. Shoes were paired together. Outfits were set out on tables in complete sets. Dishware and books were arranged on picnic tables as our moms joined us for the day. Children slid down the bright yellow slide while moms nursed babies and rocked their little ones under the blue sky.
Bayview Mission’s volunteers greeted both new moms and experienced moms alike and encouraged moms-to-be with babies soon to arrive that will become part of our expanding family. We handed out care bags to forty-eight families. Sometimes our local seniors visit in advance of Bayview Mission’s Senior Program hosted every third Monday of the month and we served twelve who dropped by. Our community day ended with a special treat for our volunteers: fresh honey right off the honeycomb from Nina’s Bayview Mission bees! That’s right: urban bees.
Beyond serving families and seniors, Bayview Mission also introduces local children to the wonders of nature on any given day in addition to every summer with Bee Busy Summer Camp. Further, Bayview Mission is now offering expanded volunteer opportunities every first and fourth Saturday of each month from 10 am to 2 pm so we may continue to expand meeting the needs of our neighborhood residents. Big things are happening at Bayview! The barn is being refurbished to hold more supplies, we have a group transforming a shipping container into an art trailer for the kiddos and much more on the hopeful horizon.
Get involved at Bayview Mission
The sun came out for us on Monday, February 12 at Bayview Mission, making for a successful and enjoyable Families with Infants & Toddlers Community Day. The wee ones gathered in the playground and converged around the bright yellow slide. Some started to play right away, whereas others looked on with curiosity. Swings swung. Friends were made. Parents conversed in the shade while watching over the children while others perused the clothing and goodies available in the community area.
Bayview Mission’s volunteers spent the morning working hard and sorting donations, packing care bags, prepping fresh groceries, labeling diapers for infants and much more. From young volunteers that come with their parents, to senior citizens and all ages in between, all gather to prepare for the families who visit Bayview Mission. Our volunteers span the generations. For example, Rob (a beloved member of Seniors with Grace) and Mari (Reverend Canon Nina Pickerell’s granddaughter) took a small break to discuss and taste-test various jellybean flavors between their volunteer duties.
All in all, Bayview Mission served forty families for a total of one hundred community members, including all the children and a few senior citizens who visited. Every family went home with a grocery care bag, clothing they selected from our donations. Families with infants also received infant formula and diapers. We were able to share two racks of brand-new infant clothing donated especially to our Bayview Mission families!
Thank you to all who donate to Bayview Mission and to our volunteers who share their time and love with us for the greater good of our community. Please know that you make a difference!
All are welcome to take part in this rewarding experience. Learn more about Bayview Mission and how to get involved.
Every 2nd and 3rd Monday of each month, Bayview Mission hosts Community Days for infants, families and seniors. Bayview Mission is housed in a victorian home at 1547 Jerrold Avenue in San Francisco’s Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood and is led by the Rev. Canon Nina Pickerrell.
Older siblings were back in action next to our younger ones this month due to the school holiday. On Monday, October 9 we assisted forty-two families including eight seniors. Each family received a care bag full of groceries, diapers and other necessities. Thanks to the SF Marin Food Bank, each family received fresh meat at a cost of $11.67. Yes, that is correct: it cost donors less than a dollar each to help feed families in need!
Service Core of America, a dynamic volunteer team of mothers and sons, joined forces with our regular volunteers in preparing care bags, clothing and various other items donated to our families by members of Grace Cathedral and the wider community. On that note, we also wish to extend a special thank you to Ann, who donated, literally, a truckload of holiday supplies to Bayview Mission. Each family received a Halloween goodie in their care bag and had the opportunity to pick out an additional decorative treat from the festive table.
We had two very exciting new additions to our Bayview Mission community. Baby Samuel, born on Friday, October 6, attended with proud parents and grandma along with his smiling big brother. We also welcomed a new-to-Bayview 6 year-old and his mom. He jumped right in on the playground action, made friends quickly and left happily with a pink ball to play with at home. Last but not least, Rob and Susan and Roscoe got into the Halloween spirit and made a new friend. Happy Halloween to everyone from Bayview Mission!
Learn more about Bayview Mission and get involved.
See more photos from our lovely day.
This last Monday in September, Bayview Mission hosted Family Infant and Toddler Community Day. Bayview Mission is housed on a residential block in a Victorian home in San Francisco’s Bayview/Hunter’s Point neighborhood. We run programs on the 2nd and 3rd Mondays of each month, from 10 am to 1 pm.
Though some of the children’s siblings are back in school, the yard still bustled with activity. We served 53 families and hosted 123 people in the backyard. We gave families 4 brand new car seats, 1 stroller, lots of baby formula and 53 sets of diapers, with 30 in each pack, for a total of 1590 diapers!
Each family always goes home with a “community care bag” full of groceries and goodies after enjoying, for this last Monday at least, a welcome day in the sunshine. The fog kindly let up on us as the morning passed.
Our dedicated volunteers helped prepare care bags, clothing and various other items donated to our families by members of Grace Cathedral and beyond. Many of our volunteers have been with us since the beginning, including our neighbor, Roscoe! His voice booms out over the yard as he calls out when it is clean up time and we corral all the kids from the playground.
Learn more about Bayview Mission and get involved.
See more photos from our lovely day.
Grace Cathedral, in tandem with Jewish Family and Community Services East Bay, helped both refugee and local families in need prepare for the upcoming school year by collecting school supplies every Sunday this August. After receiving donations of school supplies and backpacks, students were invited to bring their backpacks up to the altar during the 11 a.m. Choral Eucharist on Sunday, August 27 for the Blessing of the Backpacks.
Local congregant Stan was the man and rented a U-Haul to both pick up and deliver over 100 backpacks full of supplies. When asked for a report on the delivery, Stan observed, “They were really extremely grateful for the school supplies and gave me a tour of their operations. They’re doing some incredible work out of their Walnut Creek offices and are a blessing to a community in need. Grace can feel good to have played a part and know how greatly appreciated our efforts were.”
Grace Cathedral volunteers gathered for the second Stop Hunger Now event on Saturday, July 22 in an effort to help end world hunger in partnership with Stop Hunger Now/Rise Against Hunger. The National Charity League joined in as well.
Many hands make light work: did you know that 40 to 50 volunteers can package 10,000 dehydrated meals in about two hours?
After snapping photos of the group, the Rev. Canon Nina Pickerrell shared her experience. “Holy smokes, all went well. Our youngest volunteer was seven or eight and I believe Rital S. is in her 90s. Yes, we wore hair nets. Yes, the truck was late. Yes, we all had a great time together,” she said.
Sharing in joyful service with our volunteers here made for a successful collaboration with Stop Hunger Now/Rise Against Hunger. We look forward to hosting another meal packaging event in the future and hope you’ll join us.
Bayview Mission is housed on a residential block in a Victorian home at 1547 Jerrold Avenue in San Francisco. We run programs on the 2nd and 3rd Mondays of each month, from 10 am – 1 pm. This last Monday in June, Bayview Mission hosted Family Infant and Toddler Community Day.
This month, we had members of our mother/son Service Core volunteer team help put together community care bags filled with groceries, diapers and infant formula. The young gents and their moms assisted families with collecting their items and interacted with neighborhood parents and children in the new playground set-up.
We were thrilled to have one of our longtime mother/son duos return: Troy and his mom, Marsha, who have been serving at Bayview Mission since back when Troy attended The Cathedral School for Boys as a 2nd grader. He’s now away at college and visits during summer breaks. That’s awesome service and dedication if we don’t say so ourselves.
We also felt warmed by the presence our guests for the day, the Rt. Rev. Neff Powell and his wife, Dorothy visiting from Eugene, Oregon.
Volunteers served for and packed community care bags for 46 families filled with grocery items, infant formula, diapers and books. Car seats and strollers were also distributed. Through service to our local families, we aim to build both a welcome and safe community in the Bayview.
Seniors with Grace gathered for our monthly Community Day on May 25. Our seniors convene every fourth Thursday of the month from 9:30 am – 2 pm. We start the day with a fresh, full breakfast followed by Bible study, a topical presentation and Holy Eucharist followed by lunch in the Chapter Room.
Kathy Funaki, Assistant Director/Teacher, brought a small entourage of our preschoolers again and, this time, they headed straight to our early bird Kent’s table with their munchies, where Kent shared pictures of his recent trip to Oregon and again swapped tales of adventure with the kiddos who were much more comfortable and at ease this visit.
Charlie arrived, having just celebrated turning 90! He collected hugs and smooches from the locals which included Tracee Zyla, Outreach Ministries Administrator and the Rev. Mary-Carter Greene.
Today, the Rev. Margaret Deeths packed take-home grocery bags for our seniors and later led a discussion on life care planning, a topic essential for our seniors and for anyone preparing for medical emergencies and ongoing healthcare.
Everyone sat down to share in the delicious catered luncheon prepared by Gail and Arleen. And finally, we
wrapped up Senior Community Day with a reading by our regular poet in attendance who always brings a piece to share.
Sharing in and celebrating Senior Community Day with our seniors here at Grace Cathedral is one of my favorite days, what with our inspiring and enlivening golden-years community in attendance. We laugh, sometimes we cry, we make friends and I am grateful for every gathering we have. We welcome new members, so please do come and join us if you would like to be a Senior with Grace!
Seniors with Grace gathered yesterday for our monthly Community Day. Seniors come together every 4th Thursday of the month from 9:30 am – 2 pm. We enjoy a full breakfast, followed by Bible study and a topical presentation. At 12:10 pm, we gather for Holy Eucharist in the Chapel of Grace and then return to the Chapter House dining room for a catered luncheon.
We were blessed to have four delightful guests from the Community Preschool join us for breakfast! Kathy Funaki, Assistant Director/Teacher, brought the four wee ones in tow and helped them pick out yogurt, muffins and cantaloupe to munch on. Kent, one of our engaging seniors, graciously extended an invite to join him for breakfast. Both lively and shy personalities ebbed and flowed while Kent and the preschoolers swapped stories.
We featured our very own the Rev. Mary Carter Greene as our guest speaker with the Rev. Doe Yates, Deacon, facilitating questions. The Rev. Mary Carter shared a
little bit about herself, her journey to priesthood and her role leading our Children, Youth and Family Ministry here at Grace Cathedral. One of her stories involved her experience in Cappadocia, Turkey in which she descended eight stories underground into the tufta rock to see a subterranean dwelling in which it is believed early Christians hid to escape from persecution.
George, another one of our regulars, introduced his companion service dog, Athina. She felt shy about taking a photo at first.
Students from the Cathedral School for Boys shared their time with us and packaged grocery bags for our seniors to take home while the rest of the group enjoyed an amazing lunch prepped by our wonderful Seniors with Grace chefs, Gail and Arleen. Lunch included fresh greens topped with almonds, strawberries and tangerines; roasted asparagus and baby potatoes; roasted ham garnished with dried cherries and fresh bread and butter served by our awesome seniors and volunteers, Rob.
All in all, we had a beautiful Seniors with Grace Community Day and we look forward to gathering again in May!