Let’s talk this over supper

Over the last few weeks I spent a lot of time at the First Baptist Church on Octavia and Market streets and befriended plenty of people who are making the neighbourhood a community. How do they do it? Well, every Wednesday evening, members of the church open their doors to the homeless people and serve them a home cooked meal. Their stories are unique and heartwarming because they don’t get anything in return and nor do they expect to. Their mission is to spread love over “all those who God has created.”

Below you’ll find some pictures that put a face on the Wednesday night dinners.

Volunteers and Church Members serving salad, spaghetti with meat sauce, bread and brownies to all who made it.

Formerly homeless himself, “Reggie” has now become an active member of the church and helps out with the Wednesday night meals. (He is a poet too and often recites his written poetry during the meals)

Head Chef Joe, also formerly homeless, stands in the kitchen overlooking all work done by volunteers and other members on kitchen duty

Write me a Note I’ll Remember Forever.

There is many a time when I stumble upon things I could’ve never imagined. Maybe it is the simplicity in these discoveries that put a smile on my face and I begin to wonder about different people, their lives, goals and dreams. This is one of the few things that have made me a tourist every day in San Francisco and essentially, in the United States too.

It doesn’t take a lot of effort for anyone to stop and write up a personal message. Yes, a personal message – carve it on a tree, graffiti it on a bench while waiting for the bus or even squeeze a letter into a glass bottle that could float across the ocean. But please, write them only if you have something to say, something real. You never know who will read those words, and who those words will inspire.

Now it will all make sense, trust me.

The other day I came across little messages pasted on a wall that was wrapped with scaffolding all around. What do you know, it’s another construction zone in Hayes Valley. Anyway, I stopped to read all of the messages which were sparked by an instructional header that read “my first love was…” Bonus points for you if you’ve seen these, and perhaps a double bonus if you contributed.

On the corner of Hayes and Octavia, next to a very expensive boutique, here it is:

Random find on the corner of Hayes & Octavia

Each 4×7 ‘love template’ also had a hashtag at the bottom right corner: #theleagueofci and of course I followed through in finding out what this grand wall of first love stories was all about. It is called the ‘The League of Creative Interventionists‘, launched in January of this year and is founded by Hunter Franks who is a San Francisco based artist.

So what is it really? Well, they describe themselves as ‘a worldwide network of people working to break down social barriers and build community through creativity’. And the wall of first love stories was designed to capture stories of people simply passing by. Still not convinced that this is brilliant? Its okay, let me tell you more. Currently they’ve reached (outside of San Francisco) Minneapolis in Minnesota and Cologne in Germany and still wanting to land in more places.

When I stopped and read through the stories written over a collage of about 50 cards, I shared giggles and sighs with at least 5 strangers. They had stopped were looking through the messages with me. We could relate to all these stories despite not knowing anyone who might have written them.

For your amusement alone, I picked 3 cards I thought I could relate to most and have posted them below. If you want to read more, you know where to find it.

# 1

# 2

# 3

You can find The League of Creative Interventionists on twitter here and on Facebook here.

The Paradise side of Hayes

I don’t know if it’s the weather these days or if it’s the people who hang out here, but I can’t seem to find one mean soul in this neighborhood. Aside from the the beautiful environment my eyes stay fixed on so effortlessly, I’ve made a bunch of new friends.

Patricia’s Green, seems to be a classic getaway for most working or not working folks throughout the day. You can see them chattering about, discussing everything from the dinner party happening the next day to the most philosophical life stories. Moms and dads bring in their kids for a play date at the monkey bars and avid readers find their nirvana on the many scattered benches in the park. I’m beginning to finally understand why the Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association, and Patricia herself, devoted so much time and effort to save this area for the public.

Just a few steps away from Patricia’s Green, I found my own peace of mind. Asmall cafe on Octavia and Hayes that isn’t like most cafes I can assure you, since I’ve been to many. It’s like the sitcom ‘Cheers’ title song, “where everybody knows your name”. As cheesy as it sounds, I’ve met some amazing people here and had enjoyable conversations with all of them. I’m talking about Cafe La Vie. Kim Bruder, who is the morning Barista, now has my order down and even made me a special bagel with all things she knew I’d want (hummus + cucumber + onions + spinach + tomatoes). Sometimes you’ll see the mail guy walk in for a quick bit and he’ll sit there with his newspaper. While glancing back and forth from the article that has caught his interest, he’ll share a few laughs with Bruder, reminiscing on past encounters. Every now and then you’ll see a few people walk in and Bruder would go “Well hey there, so glad you found time to visit us”. This would be followed by the common ‘I was out of town’ or ‘I’ve been busy’ but mostly the ‘I’ve moved apartments’. Bruder once told me that even though the rising rent and countless evictions haven’t affected her directly, she’s met many people who have told her their stories about their blues.

I’ve been to the cafe now every time I visit the neighborhood, even if it’s completely out of the way. It might be small but it’s cozy and has an inviting sense about it too.

Hayes Valley

Some call it the center of the city, and it just might be. It is surrounded by Lower Haight on the left and Fillmore on the top and is mostly known for its victorian homes, high-end boutiques and delicious restaurants.

“I love it here, I can take my dog any where because everyone is so friendly and welcoming,” said Stacey Canfield, a Hayes Valley resident and yoga instructor.

After roaming about this neighborhood and talking to several dwellers over the last two weeks I learned how much change the area has undergone, and the change hasn’t stopped. With prices continuing to rise, residents are most concerned about home security and financial limitations.

Judah Dwyer, owner of The African Outlet , asks customers to sign a form in support of her business and to keep ownership of her store.

From afar Hayes Valley may appear to be for young people but most of its residents revealed their fondest of memories as they grew into their 50s or 60s alongside the neighborhood.

As a student journalist, interested in writing about communities and neighborhoods, I hope to share all their stories with you guys over the course of this semester. Feel free to tip me too.