Nina

In the pumpkin patch
Jerrold Avenue
Bayview
Friday morning

***

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 see the slideshow of Nina’s photo shoot here.

You can watch an interview on ABC Channel 7 with Nina, and see more of the Bayview Mission.

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.

***

Julie’s postscript: Bayview Mission had a burglary last Friday night. Three people broke into a storage container, stealing the children’s Christmas presents. They took board games, hand-made sweaters & hats, play dough sets and wrapping paper, as well as some other toys sets for the toddlers. If anyone has new items they would like to donate to Bayview Mission, here is their info: http://www.ministriesofgrace.org/bayview/ They also accept donations on Mondays between 10:30-12:30 at the mission.

Leah

At Flora Grubb
Bayview
Thursday morning

***

This is a story of a boy and a girl who fell in love.

I moved to San Francisco, sight unseen, six years ago.  I was deciding between San Francisco and Chicago, and when given the choice between the two, everyone I asked said, “Go to San Francisco – the weather is the best!”  So, off I went.  After a few hours here I was settled into a tiny studio at the top of Nob Hill, and after a few days here I had a job.  After a few weeks here, a boy who I had casually dated back home came for a visit.  We set off to explore San Francisco together, walking hand in had down the narrow, twisty alleys of Chinatown and up the frighteningly steep streets of Russian Hill.  We walked down Lombard Street, peeking into the windows of the Real World house, and through Alamo Square, trying to figure out which Pink Lady was the Full House house.  We took pictures of ourselves in the funny mirrors at the Exploratorium, giggling together at our oversized heads and googly eyes as kids ran all around us.  We walked 1/3 of the way across the Golden Gate (because it was too cold to go any further), and leaned into each other as we braced ourselves against the wind.  We discretely sized up each other’s reactions as we walked past Good Vibrations on Polk Street.  We tried dim sum together for the first time and panted as we hiked up Nob Hill, joking about growing old and fat together.  A few days in, the boy decided to stay a bit longer, despite the airline charging him for a new ticket.  We stepped awkwardly around the homeless people who littered the streets of the Tenderloin, and saw in each other tenderness and empathy for those less fortunate than us.  We went to the Haight to see if we could score and were dismayed to see a Gap on the corner of Haight and Ashbury and street kids and their dogs leering at passersby.  We ate tamales from a street vendor and tasted Fernet in North Beach.  On a bus ride past city hall, we joked about getting married.  We fell in love with each other and we fell in love with San Francisco.

At the end of his visit, the boy proposed, and I said yes.

The boy left for a few months to quit his job, break his lease, pack his belongings, say goodbye to his friends and family, and join me in San Francisco.  We were married in a very small, private ceremony at City Hall a few weeks before we celebrated in a ceremony back east, surrounded by our loved ones.  We returned to San Francisco and began our lives together.

Now, we hold hands as we navigate the crowds at the Ferry Building Farmer’s Market.  We explore Golden Gate Park’s secret and not-so-secret paths.  We hike up to the top of Twin Peaks for the breathtaking views.  We drive over the Golden Gate just because, and take the long way home so that we can see the skyline as we come back into the city over the Bay Bridge.  We climb the ruins of the Sutro Baths and listen to the waves crash into the rocks.  We pick up sea glass on Ocean Beach and watch the surfers try to catch the crazy waves.  We drink Bloodies at the Beach Chalet and watch the sunset over the ocean.  We blow our budget on decadent meals at Coi and Acquerello and enjoy late night burritos and Negro Modelo at Taqueria Cancun.  We sip coffee and tea from Blue Bottle or Ritual and eat pastries from Tartine in the morning fog.  We fall in love with each other and we fall in love with San Francisco, over and over again.

Together, we have accidentally stumbled upon the Folsom Street Fair and awkwardly never talked about it.  We have seen Monet at the Legion of Honor, Nefertiti at the De Young, Lichtenstein at the SF MOMA, and Sendak at the Contemporary Jewish Museum.  We have sat freezing cold at Giants games and watch them lose pitifully.  We have window shopped in Hayes Valley and bought furniture in the Deco Ghetto.  We have waited (and waited…and waited…) for the J Church and the T Third to take us home.  We have stood outside in the Mission for seemingly endless amounts of time, trying in vain to hail a cab after the bars have closed.  We have worked at local start-ups, tech companies, and non-profits.  We have bought a house together after six months of combing through old Victorians and new high-rise condos.  We have braced ourselves and taken guests to Alcatraz and Fisherman’s Wharf, trying not to roll our eyes at their enthusiasm.  We have learned to dress in layers.  We have fallen in love with each other and have fallen in love with this quirky, vibrant city that is our home.

***

You can see a slideshow of Leah’s photo shoot here.

Leah’s blog:  http://lea1022.tumblr.com

Leah’s twitter: @lea1022