have not been good. if they don't have the support that they need. it's just putting a roof over somebody's head doesn't fix the problem. it doesn't all of a sudden cure you. i have one friend who has some mental problems. she ended up living in a home, taking out all of the wiring, removing the outlets and unfortunately ended up dying because nobody was there to give her any help. hello? caller are you still there? yeah did you wrap up your comments? i apologize. all right. thank you. it appears they have completed their comments. thank you for your comments today. may we please have the next caller.

hello, my name is paulina janita. i am a current pharmacy student and my colleagues are also tuning into the livestream today. thank you for the opportunity to speak here today and for your time. we would like to ask about this plan and how specifically the mental health counseling services and resources are being extended to those in need of it. so specifically, we the logistics of how that's going to happen. and we'd also also like to ask how this plan will address the growing cycle artist shortage and how do you anticipate that will affect people's ability to receive the care under the care act? thank you so much again for your time. and these are our questions as thank you for your comments today. let's see, it appears that ashley ferguson may have been cut off. so we're going to go back to see if they had they had 14 seconds left. can you hear me. yes, we can.

and you still have ashley ferguson. can you hear me okay? sorry i wasn't sure if i'd been cut off or not. so basically, what i was just trying to say was putting a roof over somebody's head is not going to fix the problem. we need to get way more involved. we need to help these people out physically and mentally and i'm just hoping that san francisco can get their act together because what's happening is an absolute travesty. so thank you so much. board of supervisors and dr. amita for your time. and i'm hoping and i'm really praying that what you are doing will actually make a difference because it's just horrific what's going on out there. thank you. thank you very much for your comments. and we're checking to see if there are any other callers in the queue. and there are no more callers in the queue. public comment is now closed. any other comments? colleagues, supervisor mandelman . well, as you know, as when we

came together last time, i, i think there's just a ton of unanswered questions about how this is going to work out. i think even probably for our own staff who are tasked with implementing it, they're sort of stepping into unknown territory. i can see ways in which this program could be helpful, could focus the city, potentially could create a new pathway to conservatorships for people who maybe would otherwise be a challenge to make the case for conservatorship. and maybe this makes it a little bit easier if we've tried to engage with them through care court and that has not worked. i can see it being useful. i can see these alternative pathways for people who are not to get attention on particular folks who may be particularly needy and might somehow not otherwise be getting attention. i can see that potentially being useful, but i think we're going to we'll have to see. i think this committee

should ask for a report back. probably you know, 4 to 6 months in. so probably beginning part of next year and see how we're actually using it. if it if it is useful, who it has worked for and how and what kinds of changes we might want in the state legislation around this. so i would ask that or i'll make a motion that we continue this hearing to the call of the chair . great. can we get a roll call vote on that motion? yes thank you. and on the motion to continue this item to the call of the chair, vice chair mandelman. hi mandelman. i member walton walton. i chair. ronen i. ronen. i you have three eyes that motion passes unanimously. madam clerk, do we have any other items on the agenda today? yes. just a point of clarification for the many the meeting records for file number two, 309 and 74 regarding the bayview vehicle triage center at candlestick. should the minutes reflect that the

committee is accepting the recommendation, then yes, it should. thank you. and that recommends motion was just for the report back to the board by june 2024. thank you. there's no additional business ahead of the committee. wonderful. thank you so much. meeting is adjourned. thank you. adjourned. >> shop & dine in the 49 promotes local businesses and challenges residents to do their

shop & dine in the 49 with within the 49 square miles of san francisco by supporting local services within the neighborhood we help san francisco remain unique successful and vibrant so where will you shop & dine in the 49 my name is jim woods i'm the founder of woods beer company and the proprietor of woods copy k open 2 henry adams what makes us unique is that we're reintegrated brooeg the beer and serving that cross the table people are sitting next to the xurpz drinking alongside we're having a lot of ingredient that get there's a lot to do the district of retail shop having that really close connection with the consumer allows us to do exciting things we decided to come to treasure island because we saw it as an amazing opportunity can't be

beat the views and real estate that great county starting to develop on treasure island like minded business owners with last week products and want to get on the ground floor a no-brainer for us when you you, you buying local goods made locally our supporting small business those are not created an, an sprinkle scale with all the machines and one person procreating them people are making them by hand as a result more interesting and can't get that of minor or anywhere else and san francisco a hot bed for local manufacturing in support that is what keeps your city vibrant we'll make a compelling place to live and visit i think that local business is the lifeblood of san francisco and a vibrant community

>> we are providing breakfast, lunch, and supper for the kids. >> say hi. hi. what's your favorite? the carrots. >> the pizza? >> i'm not going to eat the pizza. >> you like the pizza? >> they will eat anything. >> yeah, well, okay. >> sfusd's meal program right now is passing out five days worth of meals for monday through friday. the program came about when the shelter in place order came about for san francisco. we have a lot of students that

depend on school lunches to meet their daily nutritional requirement. we have families that can't take a hit like that because they have to make three meals instead of one meal. >> for the lunch, we have turkey sandwiches. right now, we have spaghetti and meat balls, we have chicken enchiladas, and then, we have cereals and fruits and crackers, and then we have the milk.

>> we heard about the school districts, that they didn't know if they were going to be able to provide it, so we've been successful in going to the stores and providing some things. they've been helpful, pointing out making sure everybody is wearing masks, making sure they're staying distant, and everybody is doing their jobs, so that's a great thing when you're working with many kid does. >> the feedback has been really good. everybody seems really appreciative. they do request a little bit more variety, which has been hard, trying to find different types of food, but for the most part, everyone seems appreciative. growing up, i depended on them, as well, so it reminds me of myself growing up.

>> i have kids at home. i have six kids. i'm a mother first, so i'm just so glad to be here. it's so great to be able to help them in such a way because some families have lost their job, some families don't have access to this food, and we're just really glad to be >>

for us, we wish we had our queue and we created spaces that are active. >> food and drinks. there is a lot for a lot of folks and community. for us, it started back in 1966 and it was a diner and where our ancestors gathered to connect. i think coffee and food is the very fabric of our community as well as we take care of each other. to have a pop-up in the tenderloin gives it so much meaning. >> we are always creating impactful meaning of the lives of the people, and once we create a space and focus on the

most marginalized, you really include a space for everyone. coffee is so cultural for many communities and we have coffee of maria inspired by my grandmother from mexico. i have many many memories of sharing coffee with her late at night. so we carry that into everything we do. currently we are on a journey that is going to open up the first brick and mortar in san francisco specifically in the tenderloin. we want to stay true to our ancestors in the tenderloin. so we are getting ready for that and getting ready for celebrating our anniversary.

>> it has been well supported and well talked about in our community. that's why we are pushing it so much because that's how we started. very active community members. they give back to the community. support trends and give back and give a safe space for all. >> we also want to let folks know that if they want to be in a safe space, we have a pay it forward program that allows 20% to get some funds for someone in need can come and get a cup of coffee, pastry and feel welcomed in our community. to be among our community, you are always welcome here. you don't have to buy anything or get anything, just be here and express yourself and be your authentic self and we will always take care of you.

>> >> good afternoon, everyone. >> thank you. you are right. this is a quiet group. i'm going to need these voices to be raised in all of these issues that we have in san francisco. we need you to be a lot louder and a lot more enthusiastic than that. good afternoon. >> good afternoon. >> yes, there we are. this is a really really big deal. and you know that because when i did my youth commission swearing in, we got sworn in. mayor, you

know how to do a swearing in. >> and i would like to thank mr. -- supervisor ronen, and i am particularly excited because this is where i got my start in public service. to be a san francisco native, and to be appointed as a youth commission is a really big deal. give yourselves a round of applause. let's give a round of applause. >> when i look out at you all and i can say this now because i'm a father of three and i have got some gray hairs. a lot has changed since i was appointed youth commissioner. i see a lot of hope, and i see inspiration because we need your

perspective here in san francisco, especially now. this right here today is an indication of what this city and county looks like. you should be proud as you raise your hand in a few minutes and take this office. >> i'm a san francisco native. i went to the high school here. any alum? today i work as a public affair executive for a national public affairs firm. i have the honor and privilege to serve as commissioner for three consecutive mayors. my last appointment, mayor breed appointed me to the human rights commission and we worked with every department to be sure it has a mandate for equity issues. i was appointed by the late ed

lee and was on the mission structure, with the bay, with the terminal and these are what fell under the office of investment and community infrastructure. >> my first commission appointment was the san francisco youth commission. i was sworn in by mayor gavin newsom where we worked on a myriad of issues to be sure that parents had transparent information and we worked on the muni and the lifeline package. that came from the san francisco youth commission. i bring up those issues to say that the world, the city hall, san francisco is your oyster. there is no issue too small or call too big that you cannot

handle. i walk the halls today and in my full-time job i'm a consultant for a consulting firm and i act as a bridge inside city hall and outside city hall. i remind myself that we have important persons here. we have mayor breed, other commissioners and these are all people that you have access to in this building. >> i'm going to end with this before i call mayor breed up. my challenge for you all is to become masters of all of the tangible. there is enough smart people, there is a lot of smart people in san francisco, but the most successful public servants show up, they are present, they are unafraid to speak. they are, i get emotional here

because this city, i love this city. i'm born and raised in this city particularly during a time right now. one of the most important things that has allowed me to be successful are the relationships. making sure that the people you see sit next to you as youth commissioners, keep these relationships strong because ten years from now, when you are walking the halls, when you are the next mayor of san francisco, the next supervisor of the department ahead, it's going to be the person that sits next to you that you call on for that legislation, or draft policy or make sure our streets are clean. so i want to say thank you. i want to say thank you to mayor breed for inviting me here today. i would like to call you up to do the official oath of office. >> mayor london breed: thank

you, theo and supervisors for showing up for our young people today. in the past, i know gavin newsom was in the basement and i think ed lee was in the focus at the time. when i became mayor, i wanted to be sure that young people like you were a priority. i think this city has spent a lot of time doing a lot of things that often has not led to the kinds of results that you as the next generation of young folks growing up in san francisco deserve. so one of the first programs that i started when i became mayor was opportunities for all. and let me tell you, for any of you that participate in opportunities for all, well, thank you, at least one or two, but the rest of you are going to need to participate in this program. why was that important? it was important because when i was growing up in san francisco, i

lived in poverty. so i needed to make money somehow. my grandmother received welfare for us and food stamps and we didn't have the ability to do some of the things i wanted to participate in. i pretended i didn't want to be a cheerleader but i really wanted to be a cheerleader but i couldn't afford the uniform and the travel associated with being a cheerleader. there is an important program like that where we provide internships so that money is not a barrier to your desire to do anything you want in life. and the fact that you all are committing your time to the youth commission, where you are stepping up to be leaders in this arena, i wanted you to know how important it is not only to me, but to our supervisors who are here, to people like theo

who went through this program as a youth commissioner and continues to serve in various capacities in the city of san francisco. these are opportunities. not just opportunities for you to add something to your college applications, but as theo has said, opportunities, for you to develop very important relationships that could be a part of your lives for the rest of your lives. people that you are going to be working with to push for policy decisions that are important to young people in san francisco. this is where you learn how to develop those relationships, how to fight for what you want and after the fight is done, the debate happens, you are still friends and show respect for one another because all of you are

spending your time being public servants that deliver the kind of results that young people of this city need especially after this global pandemic. it has been very difficult. i can't even imagine what you all have gone through where two years of not being able to be in school. i couldn't wait until the first day of school when i was growing up. i couldn't imagine what it would feel like where you could not go into school and the classroom and not look forward to recess or lunchtime and have the friends and have the quality time. i know it's so important that we start to have an honest conversation about the impact on our mental health to our young people who have experienced the things that you have gone through. you know what's best because you have lived in it and you can provide an opportunity for us as

leaders to make decisions that support moving our city forward in a good direction, but more importantly making sure that we are providing the right kind of support and resources for young people all over san francisco. now, let me just give you a little bit of what the power of the youth commission is. now, the youth commission convinced me to support something i was opposed to. the vote 16 efforts. [ applause ] there were a couple of young people. they came into my office, and then they presented. i was opposed to it. no, you are 18, still live at home, you are not grown. i was opposed to it. these youngster came into my office and they had the data

that talked about specifically how young people voting in their age become more actively engaged and showing up to vote. and they said it but not only said it but they had the data in demonstrating how this was more impactful in getting more people to show up and vote. that was after a few minutes i was engaged in this conversation and something i don't do that often but i changed my mind. but i was so proud that they were interested in something they cared about. you mention the card lifeline. the youth helped to make it free, not just the lifeline. but later on, the muni

generation fought to make it free, no longer sneaking in on the bus, and to making sure that money is not a barrier and to be sure that every young person can get on our busses and not have to dealing with the consequences for not being able to pay. this is the first step for learning how to be a leader and to protect things you care about, how to bring ideas forward and impacting young people in san francisco. we are looking forward to seeing you serve this year, and bring forth not only to myself but the board of supervisors, the legislative branch of government, we are looking forward to see what you bring forward for us to deliver on for young people. we may say what we want to do for young folks, but you all understand it from a different

perspective. we are looking forward to your service, on the youth commission. enjoy every single moment. don't tell your parents i have to go to the youth commission and i can't make-up my bed. make sure you take care of things at home, that you take care of things at school, but you really take this opportunity to be not only part of this meeting where you have discussions but you take the time to get to know one another throughout this process. this is going to be so important to you in life and also this experience is something for you to look back on and when you look back, make sure what you do today makes you proud. with that, i'm ready to swear you in. [ applause ] >> so here is how we are going to do it since all of your family and friends are here and they want to take pictures. everyone who is being sworn in to the youth commission will stand up here facing this way,

and i will give you instructions from there. >> now, if anyone wants to be in the middle, you can. c'mon. there we go. this is a great looking group of young people! [cheers and applause] >> okay, i'm going to ask you to raise your right hand and repeat after me, and then i'm going to point to you when i ask you to state your name. you will state your full name. okay? are we ready? >> are we ready? let's pretend we are at homecoming in high school. are we ready? >> okay. all right. let's go.

please raise your right hand, everyone, and repeat after me. i, state your name, >> do solemnly swear that i will support and defend the constitution of the united states, and the constitution of the state of california. against all enemies. foreign and domestic. that i bear true faith, and

allegiance to the same that i take this obligation freely. without any mental reservation. or purpose of evasion. and that i will well and faithfully discharge the duties upon which i'm about to enter. and during such time, as i serve as commissioner for the youth commission of the city and county of san francisco. >> congratulations, everybody.

>> congratulations, everybody. [cheers and applause] >> >> >> [cheers and applause] >> >> >> any one of our brave leaders want to say a few words? >> there we go. >> i will take the chance when i have one. i just wanted to say thank you to everyone for joining us here today. my name is plumber, i serve as a commissioner in the san francisco youth commission.

i serve citywide but i'm a proud resident of district 4. i want to thank you all for being here today. this is my third term on the san francisco youth commission. it's been really exciting and we have been able to work on incredible things. i'm looking forward to come back this year and talk about things for youth and every issue that impacts young people in san francisco. we'll have our first meeting on monday. we are getting right to it. [cheers and applause] all right. so first we are going to take a few pictures, and then we are going to host a reception for everyone in my conference room in 201. so that everyone can have a good time after the ceremony. thank you all so much for being here, supervisor mandelman. the principal is going to send

you to detention. [ laughter ] but thank you, supervisor mandelman for joining us as well. we are proud to have all family and community members here to support the young folks who are going to take over san francisco. so we have to make sure that they are prepared and ready to go. that we are building more senior citizen homes so i have a place to live when i become a senior citizen as i watch you lead san francisco. i'm looking forward to it. thank you very much for being [ applause ] >> >>

>> i think a lot of times we get in adult lives we are afraid to follow our passions and think life can't be that easy. but i truly do believe i followed my heart this time in my journal in city government i did not know that is where my passion lied. i kept following it and ltd. to great opportunity to serve the city. [music] >> i'm katy tang the executive director of the office of small business. >> small business contributes to san francisco's economy. they provide the bulk of employment in the city and employing a million people in san francisco. and roughly 90% of the

businesses are defined as small businesses. so, they contribute to the economy but also just the quality of life. small businesses are more then and there a place of transaction it is a community center. a play where people gather. know each other and form memories about the city. >> at the office of mall business i run a team this helps report all mall businesses in san francisco whether they are looking to stfrt a new business or expand or perhaps they are feeling with issues. our office is here as a point of information for anyone with a business that has 100 or nower employees. >> i was growing up i had many ideas of when i wanted to do. i wanted to being an olympic swimmer. and i wanted to men be an architect, you name it i had many ideas for what i wanted do

when i grew up. and i never anticipated entering in politics. this opportunity came along wh started working for former supervisor carmen chu and she became the district 4 sunset district supervisor. that was my firstent row in politics and government in a different level. and so when i was finishing up my time working for legislative aid i thought, i will go off and do something else. may be explore opportunity outside of city government what was then approached by this opportunity to also serve as a district 4 supervisor. if not the traditional route that many people think of when you enter in politics. a lot know that is manage than i want to do and run for office. that was not part of my culture and upbringing with manage my

parents were wondering why i wanted to go in that role this legislation and important because so many women when have it return to work after having a child feel embarrassed or don't feel comfortable asking their supervisor for will any lactation accommodations. i saw it as an opportunity you could use the position where you have tools creating legislation and pass laws and where people listen to to you help the community and pass cause catharsis important to the city and individuals. my family immigrated to the united states from taiwan. and they came here in pronl probably late 20's almost 30. and so, they came also in the knowing english limp barely read or write but had to quickly understand english to i can't haveigate services and find a

job in america. i grew up in the san francisco sunset district i spent most of my childed hoo up until i went off to college. so when i started working in city government, i think i had mixed reactions about my involvement working government because for some of our parents generation, there is i bit of distrust in government. i think there are questions about why i was entering in this field of work. i think you know when i went in city government i thought about my parents like so many other who is have to navigate city services and resources english first language and help the individuals both navigate, intercept that is on an application approximate signage. it is fulfilling to mow to help people like my parent and feel like government is there to support them and not to harm

them. my parents are happy that i retired early from politics and being a district 4 supervisor i could have continued on for a couple more years approximate decided to leave early. i think that over all they were able to see some of my work appear in the chinese newspaper. through that they were able to see i was able to help communities in a tangible way. >> the member of the board of supervisors. >> transportation authority. for the city and county of san francisco. congratulations. >> i think about one importance when i was worn in as district 4 supervisor. years ago, and someone actually came up to me during the swear nothing ceremony and said, wow, i'm traveling here from canada, and i just i could not believe i saw an asian female worn in in this role a leadership role this

meant so much that someone would say that and felt they were inspired by the scene. so -- i hope that as more people see people that look like them and more women coming in positions of leadership than i feel they can doing the same. person this inpyred me is carmen chu who is our city add administrator but also was district 4 supervisor when i worked with her as a legislative aid. at this point, i too, was skeptical of going in politics. i saw someone who had herself never seen herself in politics. got thrown into it and put her heart and soul and dedication to serve people. and it gave me the confidence to pursue that same job and i honestly would not have either chosen or accepted or considered serving on the board of supervisors were not for carmen.

>> if you want to make your business accessible. >> in my role in city government where i have seen the most challenge is people who don't know you and you are here to serve and help them that they classify you as our city government and here to hurt you. so, people will talk to you and -- and just you know treat you disrespectfully. and sometimes i noticed that they might do more to me as a female compared to my male colleagues. but you know i try to be empathetic. one of the most significant barriers to female empowerment we feel like we have to be 100% meeting all of the qualifications before we think that we are qualified to do a job. if we look at a job description or an opportunity to come your way well is self doubt about whether you can fulfill the obligations of that role.

i think that the confidence is huge and sometimes i think we make up for it by trying to gain more experience. more and more and more in whatever we can put under our belts we'll feel better. that may not be the case. we might be qualified with when we have already accomplished. i started rock climbing indoors a couple years ago as an activity to try to spends time with my husband and also to try something new and i finds that rock climbing there are so many parallels to life. you know when i'm on the wall i'm concentrating and trying to make it to the next piece without falling. there are daying you think i'm not making progress. you come back and wow, i hit another level. and so i feel like in our daily

lives and w we think we are not making enough of i change in the city. and sometimes we have to take out time to reflect every day as long as you try and give it your all and you look back you will have made a significant contribution there is no limit to where you go in terms of rock climbing. i want to reminds myself of that in terms of daily life. >> follow what it is you are interested in, what makes you feel excited about wake up every day. you never know and be open to all the possibilities and opportunity. [music]

>> i view san francisco almost as a sibling or a parent or something. i just love the city. i love everything about it. when i'm away from it, i miss it like a person. i grew up in san francisco kind of all over the city. we had pretty much the run of the city 'cause we lived pretty close to polk street, and so we would -- in the summer, we'd all all the way down to aquatic park, and we'd walk down to the library, to the kids' center. in those days, the city was safe and nobody worried about us running around. i went to high school in spring valley. it was over the hill from chinatown. it was kind of fun to experience being in a minority, which most white people don't get to experience that often.

everything was just really within walking distance, so it make it really fun. when i was a teenager, we didn't have a lot of money. we could go to sam wong's and get super -- soup for $1. my parents came here and were drawn to the beatnik culture. they wanted to meet all of the writers who were so famous at the time, but my mother had some serious mental illness issues, and i don't think my father were really aware of that, and those didn't really become evident until i was about five, i guess, and my marriage blew up, and my mother took me all over the world. most of those ad ventures ended up bad because they would end up hospitalized. when i was about six i guess, my mother took me to japan, and

that was a very interesting trip where we went over with a boyfriend of hers, and he was working there. i remember the open sewers and gigantic frogs that lived in the sewers and things like that. mostly i remember the smells very intensely, but i loved japan. it was wonderful. toward the end. my mother had a breakdown, and that was the cycle. we would go somewhere, stay for a certain amount of months, a year, period of time, and she would inevitably have a breakdown. we always came back to san francisco which i guess came me some sense of continuity and that was what kept me sort of stable. my mother hated to fly, so she would always make us take ships places, so on this particular occasion when i was, i think, 12, we were on this ship getting ready to go through the panama canal, and she had a breakdown on the ship. so she was put in the brig, and

i was left to wander the ship until we got to fluorfluora few days later, where we had a distant -- florida a few days later, where we had a distant cousin who came and got us. i think i always knew i was a writer on some level, but i kind of stopped when i became a cop. i used to write short stories, and i thought someday i'm going to write a book about all these ad ventures that my mother took me on. when i became a cop, i found i turned off parts of my brain. i found i had to learn to conform, which was not anything i'd really been taught but felt very safe to me. i think i was drawn to police work because after coming from such chaos, it seemed like a very organized, but stable

environment. and even though things happening, it felt like putting order on chaos and that felt very safe to me. my girlfriend and i were sitting in ve 150d uvio's bar, and i looked out the window and i saw a police car, and there was a woman who looked like me driving the car. for a moment, i thought i was me. and i turned to my friend and i said, i think i'm supposed to do this. i saw myself driving in this car. as a child, we never thought of police work as a possibility for women because there weren't any until the mid70's, so i had only even begun to notice there were women doing this job. when i saw here, it seemed like this is what i was meant to do. one of my bosses as ben johnson's had been a cop, and he -- i said, i have this weird idea that i should do this.

he said, i think you'd be good. the department was forced to hire us, and because of all of the posters, and the big recruitment drive, we were under the impression that they were glad to have us, but in reality, most of the men did not want the women there. so the big challenge was constantly feeling like you had to prove yourself and feeling like if you did not do a good job, you were letting down your entire gender. finally took an inspector's test and passed that and then went down to the hall of justice and worked different investigations for the rest of my career, which was fun. i just felt sort of buried alive in all of these cases, these unsolved mysteries that there were just so many of them, and some of them, i didn't know if we'd ever be able to solve, so my boss was able to get me out of the unit. he transferred me out, and a couple of weeks later, i found out i had breast cancer.

my intuition that the job was killing me. i ended up leaving, and by then, i had 28 years or the years in, i think. the writing thing really became intense when i was going through treatment for cancer because i felt like there were so many parts that my kids didn't know. they didn't know my story, they didn't know why i had a relationship with my mother, why we had no family to speak of. it just poured out of me. i gave it to a friend who is an editor, and she said i think this would be publishable and i think people would be interested in this. i am so lucky to live here. i am so grateful to my parents who decided to move to the city. i am so grateful they did. that it neverrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

>> usf donates 100-120 pounds of food a night. for the four semesters we have been running here, usf has

donated about 18,000 pounds of food to the food recovery network. ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ >> i'm maggie. >> i'm nick. >> we're coe-chairs of the national led organization. what food recovery does is recover and redistribute food that would go wasted and redistributing to people in the community. >> the moment that i became really engaged in the cause of fighting food waste was when i

had just taken the food from the usf cafeteria and i saw four pans full size full of food perfectly fine to be eaten and made the day before and that would have gone into the trash that night if we didn't recover it the next day. i want to fight food waste because it hurts the economy, it's one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gases in the world. if it was a nation, it would be the third largest nation behind china and the united states. america wastes about 40% of the food we create every year, $160 billion worth and that's made up in the higher cost of food for consumers. no matter where you view the line, you should be engaged with the issue of food waste. ♪♪♪

♪♪♪ >> access edible food that we have throughout our lunch program in our center, i go ahead and collect it and i'll cool it down and every night i prep it up and the next day i'll heat it and ready for delivery. it's really natural for me, i love it, i'm passionate about it and it's just been great. i believe it's such a blessing to have the opportunity to actually feed people every day. no food should go wasted. there's someone who wants to eat, we have food, it's definitely hand in hand and it shouldn't be looked at as work or a task, we're feeding people

and it really means so much to me. i come to work and they're like nora do you want this, do you want that? and it's so great and everyone is truly involved. every day, every night after every period of food, breakfast, lunch, dinner, i mean, people just throw it away. they don't even think twice about it and i think as a whole, as a community, as any community, if people just put a little effort, we could really help each other out. that's how it should be. that's what food is about basically. >> an organization that meets is the san francisco knight ministry we work with tuesday and thursday's. ♪♪♪

♪ by the power ♪ ♪ of your name ♪ >> i have faith to move mountains because i believe in jesus. >> i believe it's helpful to offer food to people because as you know, there's so much homelessness in san francisco and california and the united states. i really believe that food is important as well as our faith. >> the san francisco knight ministry has been around for 54 years. the core of the ministry, a group of ordain ministers, we go out in the middle of the night every single night of the year,

so for 54 years we have never missed a night. i know it's difficult to believe maybe in the united states but a lot of our people will say this is the first meal they've had in two days. i really believe it is a time between life or death because i mean, we could be here and have church, but, you know, i don't know how much we could feed or how many we could feed and this way over 100 people get fed every single thursday out here. it's not solely the food, i tell you, believe me. they're extremely grateful. >> it's super awesome how welcoming they are. after one or two times they're like i recognize you. how are you doing, how is school?

i have never been in the city, it's overwhelming. you get to know people and through the music and the food, you get to know people. >> we never know what impact we're going to have on folks. if you just practice love and kindness, it's a labor of love and that's what the food recovery network is and this is a huge -- i believe they salvage our mission. >> to me the most important part is it's about food waste and feeding people. the food recovery network national slogan is finding ways to feed people. it's property to bring the scientific and human element into the situation.

nicaraguans for your incredible performance. muchas gracias. please, everyone, find your seats. please help us welcome mary travers allen, who will provide this evening's land acknowledgment. good evening. good evening and blessings to all my relatives. my name is mary travis allen