St. Anthony Foundation

The St. Anthony Foundation is a nonprofit social service organization in San Francisco, California. They provide services for people experiencing homelessness and poverty,^[1][2] and they are best known for their operation of the St. Anthony Dining Room in the Tenderloin District.^[3][4][5] It was founded in 1950 by Franciscan friar Alfred Boeddeker to serve free meals to the poor in an ordinary restaurant-like setting.

At St. Anthony Dining Room, breakfast and lunch are served daily, including on holidays.^[1] The Dining Room has served as many as 2,500 plates of food a day,^[6] and over thirty seven million meals since its creation. The foundation operates a residential drug and alcohol treatment program for men, the Father Alfred Center, whose residents provide volunteer labor for the Dining Hall.^[7] Other social services are provided,^[8] including the Tenderloin Technology Lab (with more than 40 computers available for use),^[9] services for women and children, a free clothing program (by appointment only), and a Hygiene hub, where people can access showers and laundry services by appointment.^[1] Local political figures honoring the foundation include Representative Nancy Pelosi, who served the thirty five millionth meal in 2009.^[10]

In 2014, a new dining hall was opened that can serve 2000 people. In 2021, the Hygiene Hub was opened in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023, an outdoor hub, the Welcome Center, was launched, which provides referrals to essential services.^[11]