Organizing drawstring bags, masks, toilet kids and first aid kits for unhoused individuals in San Francisco, California. Photograph by Martin Nobida, English Teacher, 2020.
San Francisco Impact
Community Outreach for unhoused individuals Relief in the Bay Area
San Francisco, California, United States
On Saturday, October 31, 2020, our Presidio Education® team in San Francisco launched a major unhoused individuals outreach initiative, delivering 100 carefully prepared backpacks filled with essential hygiene supplies to unhoused individuals throughout the city. These backpacks included over 1,100 masks, 900 bottles of soap, 600 pairs of socks, 200 bottles of sanitizer, first aid kits, feminine hygiene products, clothing, reusable BPA-free water bottles, toilet paper, food, and drinks.
We launched this community impact project at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when many shelters had to reduce capacity and unhoused residents were pushed back onto the streets. As infection risks grew, it became even more critical to provide health and hygiene resources directly to those without shelter, many of whom lacked access to basic medical care, psychological support, food, or clean water.
San Francisco has seen a troubling rise in unhoused individual numbers over the last decade, with an estimated 9,800 unhoused individuals reported in 2019—up from 7,499 in 2017. Seeing so many of our neighbors overlooked and underserved is deeply painful, and we believe that supporting vulnerable communities is a moral responsibility—not a choice.
At Presidio Education®, we believe students must become not only scholars, but also compassionate leaders. We encourage young people—especially those in more privileged environments—to recognize the urgent need for volunteer work, youth-driven advocacy, and sustainable giving. Whether that means joining local food banks, assembling care kits, or participating in urban outreach, every action matters.
If you're ready to make a difference, please contact our Sustainability Team to learn how to get involved in upcoming Impact Projects. Together, we can build a more ethical and caring future.
No one should be forgotten.
A Few Words from Martin Nobida
Presidio Education® English Teacher
I am both grateful and humbled to have been able to help so many people with something so important. As part of the Presidio Education® San Francisco Impact Project 2020 event, on Saturday, October 31, 2020, we took to the streets of San Francisco on the lookout for unhoused individuals. Our mission: combat the spread of COVID-19 by distributing 100 backpacks filled with snacks, clothes, hand sanitizers, toiletries, and basic personal protective equipment (PPE) supplies to some of the most vulnerable and needy men and women in the city.
San Francisco is known for many things, among them the Golden Gate Bridge, sourdough bread, cable cars, and the 49ers. Unfortunately, the City by the Bay is also known for its legions of unhoused individuals. And this not-so-invisible community is in desperate need of help.
While most Americans struggle to deal with reduced social contact and navigating partially shut-down economies, whole unhoused communities are barely surviving. They receive little assistance or compassion from mainstream society, which is itself locked down in the face of a pandemic. COVID-19 has forced the closure of many shelters around the city, making unavailable some of the only places the unhoused individuals traditionally rely on to get a little bit of food, shelter, and their basic health needs taken care of. So they’ve scattered around the city, huddled together in community parks, dark alleyways, and off windswept sandy beaches. Left to fend for themselves, they are without the means to combat a virus that has already killed so many people who were much better equipped to protect against it.
The Presidio Education® SF Impact Project 2020 was meant to give them at least a bit of a fighting chance. I’m sure our efforts were just a drop in the bucket when looking at the entire San Francisco unhoused problem—there are just too many people living on the streets for 100 backpacks to solve the problem permanently. I am happy and proud, however, to know that we were able to help in at least some small way, giving a hundred or so people the means just to stay alive for a while. Judging by the smiles on the faces of many who received those backpacks, it seems they were grateful.
