When I moved into the house my grandparents had purchased in the 1950′s, I began making big changes. I cleaned up the yard and replanted the vegetable garden to give the neighborhood children a safe place to play. I cleared the clutter from the garage in order to set up a food pantry that now serves over 400 families every Monday. I tidied up the old garden room in the basement to house a children’s library that includes over 2000 books. The next project is the renovation of the barn. It’s the future location of the worship space for The Bayview Mission, a ministry of Grace Cathedral that is supported by The Episcopal Diocese of California and nearby parish St. Gregory of Nyssa. For children growing up under a dark cloud of lack and despair, the rainbow inside the Crayola box is deeply meaningful. The impact of the Bayview Mission’s food pantry, community garden, and free library may be in the bringing of hope and abundance to those who have only known want and isolation.
My family home has been transformed into an outreach center in one of the most marginalized neighborhoods in San Francisco. The effects of gang activity, unemployment, drug-related crime, and industrial waste have been slowly grinding away at the residents of a once prosperous Bayview-Hunters Point.
Gaining the trust of my neighbors was the hardest part. I tried to do this years ago, and failed. Failed miserably! I had wanted to create a day-care center, and I didn’t connect to the people in the neighborhood. I just moved in and tried to set up shop. I wasn’t prepared for what happened next. There were two robberies that occurred on my property. They stole children’s toys, furniture, and clothing. So I walked away from the house and any idea of doing something in that house.
Now my relationship to the people in my community is different because my intention is different. Before, I came in thinking I was going to do something for them. This time I went in slowly, hiring homeless men from the neighborhood to help with the initial cleanup of the house. I made improvements, and showed pride in the home. And then I planted the pumpkin patch!
Children came from the surrounding blocks to pick out their very own pumpkin. This was anything but trivial for the children of Bayview. These are children for whom traveling off their block can mean crossing gang territory. This was the first time any of them had ever had a pumpkin for Halloween. These are children who do not know that there is enough paper for them to draw on, or colored pencils, or crayons. For these kids, there is never enough. And this pumpkin patch is just for them.
You can read more about Bayview Mission here: http://www.ministriesofgrace.org/bayview/
To find out how you can get involved with Bayview Mission, please contact the Rev. Nina Pickerrell at (415) 515-4059 or ninap@gracecathedral.org.
