Pack Supplies for At The Crossroads' Homeless Youth

Help pack supplies for homeless youth served by At the Crossorads ("ATC"). ATC reaches out to homeless youth at their point of need (street outreach) and works with them to build healthy and fulfilling lives (see www.atthecrossroads.org (http://www.atthecrossroads.org/)). These supplies are an important part of that mission.

Please check in with your event host when you arrive. It is important to update your rsvp right away if your plans change - they are counting on us for our help.

At The Crossroads works with more than 200 youth every week, providing them with thousands of supplies, and are 100% reliant on volunteers to prepare these supplies. Supply prep includes, but is not limited to:

Making candy packs Making snack bags Making hygiene bags Making q-tip bags Making tampon and pad bags Making safer injection kits Making antibiotic ointment bags Folding, sorting, and labeling new clothing donations Straightening our clothing room Cutting outreach cards Creating homemade birthday and congratulations cards Cleaning used Bike Messenger bags The reason that having volunteers prep supplies is so important is that it frees up ATC's counselors’ time. The demand for daytime 1-to-1 counseling services has risen dramatically in the past couple of years. ATC counselors are incredibly hard working, and are at their capacity. Every hour that volunteers spend prepping supplies is an hour that is freed up to meet with a client. So, at a typical Prep Night, since there will be about 25 total volunteers (SFGT plus individuals) prepping supplies for two hours, it allows ATC to meet with an additional 50 youth. This makes an enormous impact on our clients’ lives.

ATC's innovative model focuses on young people who do not access traditional services and are disconnected from any type of consistent support. They work with young people who others have given up on, who would not otherwise get help. They remove common barriers to service by bringing counselors onto the streets, and shaping support services around the needs of each individual client. ATC's goal is to help their clients build outstanding lives, not just lives of subsistence.

We'll head out afterwards to Dear Mom and grab some burgers and beer. They have good veggie options too. http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2013/01/fogcutter-dear-mom-burger-review-san-francisco-ca.html