Episode 79: St Anthony’s

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St Anthony’s Programs

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“I think there's a big learning about like fragility and humanity and all our interactions. Right. And recognizing that we all belong to each other”-Nils

In this episode, our featured voice is the chief executive officer of St Anthony’s Nils Behnke.

We wanted to feature the voice of a legacy social service organization that’s approach to providing a hand up to our low-income and un-housed community members is that of seeing them as guests and walking with them on their journey. Over the past 70 years, St Anthony’s has been providing a holistic approach to supporting families and individuals in the Tenderloin community.

Nils Behnke

As a donor, volunteer, and St. Anthony’s Board member and President for more than a decade prior to joining us as our CEO, Nils is deeply committed to furthering St. Anthony’s impact serving vulnerable populations experiencing homelessness and poverty, and passionate about our Franciscan values, mission, and history.

Nils joined St. Anthony’s as CEO in September 2020, and brings growth-oriented leadership acumen to the role of CEO. Formerly working in the private sector, he held prominent senior roles at leading management consulting firms Bain & Company and McKinsey & Company, and the role of CEO for a private biotech company. Nils earned his Ph.D. and Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Cologne.

Nils and his wife and two sons live in San Francisco and are active parishioners of St. Dominic’s Catholic Church. Nils enjoys cycling and motorcycling (“anything on two wheels”), and practicing his culinary skills in his spare time.

St. Anthony’s

Seven decades ago, Franciscan Friar Fr. Alfred Boeddeker had a vision of uniting vulnerable populations in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood.

His vision became a reality on October 4, 1950, when he opened the doors of St. Anthony’s Dining Room. That first day, Fr. Alfred expected to serve 150 meals; he ended up serving 400.

So began a new era – one in which all individuals could come together, enjoy a hot, nutritious meal, and be part of a loving community.

For more than 70 years, St. Anthony’s has walked alongside San Franciscans in need. Our comprehensive programming includes essential services, health care, and gateways to stability.
Our work is made possible by the generous support of our donors and volunteers, who know that it takes a community to break down barriers and create a society where all people flourish. To find out more about St. Anthony’s Impact please read the 2020 Impact Report

Donation/Volunteer

Donating: During times of greatest need, gifts such as yours allow us to continue providing necessities to our most vulnerable guests. Find out more about ways to donate and support St Anthony's work

Volunteering: Volunteers are what make our work possible. St. Anthony’s welcomes more than 12,000 people each year from every sector of the community to engage in direct service to those experiencing poverty and homelessness. Together our volunteer corps provide over 130,000 hours of service per year to St. Anthony’s programs. Our professionally structured volunteer program also provides participants with an empowering experience. Service with us is more than volunteerism, it’s an opportunity to connect with the community through shared moments of compassion and understanding.

To see all our daily shifts and sign up, visit our shift calendar.

Want to receive updates about volunteering at St. Anthony’s? Please fill out our volunteer interest form. Find out more about Volunteering here:

Videos

To find out more about This St Anthony’s work check out our videos:

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“If there’s one thing that we’ve learned during COVID right, we’re all in the community. We can’t really isolate, ourselves from each other and if we want to succeed, we need to succeed together and take those along that have more barriers and for whom it is, harder ”

— Nils Behnke,Chief Executive Officer, St Anthony’s

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