Nuns from the Fraternite Notre Dame Mary of Nazareth propose opening a soup kitchen at a vacant commercial space at 1930 Mission Street after a rent increase displaced them from their Tenderloin location.  Unfortunately, some people are opposing their work sharing free food with hungry people.

These articles provide good background:

http://missionlocal.org/2016/12/neighbors-organize-to-clean-up-mission-concerned-soup-kitchen-will-bring-blight/

http://missionlocal.org/2016/04/nuns-find-money-for-soup-kitchen-but-sf-mission-condo-residents-leery/

http://missionlocal.org/2016/03/displaced-nuns-to-open-soup-kitchen-in-new-sf-mission-space/

You can help convince the City of San Francisco to approve this soup kitchen in three ways.

1)  Sign and share an online petition:  https://www.change.org/p/san-francisco-planning-commission-support-the-sisters-soup-kitchen-in-san-francisco

2)  Write a support letter to the San Francisco Planning Commissioners.  A sample letter with instructions follows:

SUPPORT THE SISTERS OF THE FRATERNITE NOTRE DAME

 

HOW TO SEND A SUPPORT LETTER:

Support letters can be sent as an email or as an attachment document. Please send your letter to Tom Tunny at ttunny@reubenlaw.com for inclusion in the Sisters’ project application to the City.

 

If you are unable to email your letter, please mail a printed copy to Tom Tunny at One Bush Street, Suite 600 San Francisco, CA  94104 or hand deliver directly to Sister Marie.

 

OVERVIEW:

The letter below is a sample version – the most effective support letters are written from a personal point-of-view of the sisters and their mission. Please use the following version as a template.

 

—————————————————————————————————————————————

DATE

 

 

 

San Francisco Planning Commission

1650 Mission Street, Suite 400

San Francisco, CA 94103

 

Dear Planning Commissioners,

 

Please support the Sisters of the Fraternite Notre Dame in their efforts to relocate the Mary of Nazareth soup kitchen to 1930 Mission Street. The Sisters provide an essential safety net for some of San Francisco’s most vulnerable residents who are struggling to make ends meet or are currently living on the street.

 

Since 2008, the Sisters have become an integral part of the San Francisco community, serving free meals from their previous location in the Tenderloin. Due to a dramatic rise in rent, the Sisters must find a new site in order to continue doing their good work in the City.

 

Through the generosity of those inspired by the Sisters’ mission to serve the poor, the Sisters have secured this ideally-suited new location at 1930 Mission. As they have demonstrated over the years, the Sisters know how to create a safe, controlled environment by running an efficient operation and by creating personal relationships with the people who come to them for help.

 

The Sisters represent all of the values that make San Francisco a welcoming place for all people. Please support them as they strive to improve the lives of so many.

 

NAME

ORGANIZATION AND TITLE (IF APPLICABLE)

ADDRESS

3)  Attend the Planning Commission Hearing on Thursday, January 12th beginning at 12 Noon, City Hall, Room 400 (I will post more specific information the week of the hearing).

Thank you for your help.

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