The Jewish Home of San Francisco and a team of volunteers helped distribute food to low-income residents of the city’s Excelsior District at an on-site food pantry on Nov. 22.

Food pantry volunteers

The day also included a ribbon cutting, as the Jewish Home and Mission Bay Community Church announced their joint sponsorship of the Excelsior Community Food Pantry. After the pantry lost its host location at a nearby church, the Jewish Home stepped in and offered to become the program’s new site.

The food was provided by the San Francisco–Marin Food Bank, which supplies more than 240 food pantries, and set up in the style of a farmers market. People were able to pick up ingredients for a Thanksgiving meal, such as whole chickens, gravy, sweet potatoes, rice, cranberry sauce, rolls and dessert.

Daniel Ruth, CEO and president of the Jewish Home

San Francisco Supervisors John Avalos and David Chiu spoke at the ribbon cutting, as did Daniel Ruth, president and CEO of the 143-year-old Jewish Home, which serves approximately 1,300 patients and residents on its nine-acre campus.

Ruth talked to the crowd about tzedakah and how it is a basic tenet of Judaism. “Our faith holds that we are all responsible to help each other,” he said, “and the Jewish Home of San Francisco is honored to partner with the Excelsior Community Food Pantry to help them fulfill their mission to serve our neighbors.”