Notre Dame de Namur Students to Share Thanksgiving Picnic with Homeless

For nearly a quarter of a century, Notre Dame de Namur students, faculty and staff have been inviting San Francisco’s homeless to share a Thanksgiving meal in Golden Gate Park. This year more than 300 of the city’s homeless residents are expected to once again share turkey sandwiches and conversation at NDNU’s 24th annual Thanksgiving in the Park event. The event will be held at a section of the park near the intersection of Stanyon and Haight streets beginning at 11 a.m. Thursday, November 27, 2014.

About 80 volunteers will prepare food and deliver it to the park under the direction of NDNU sociology professor Dr. Cheryl Joseph’s. Dr. Joseph says that sitting down to a picnic lunch with the people in Golden Gate Park helps connect them to the community as well as serve as an important learning experience for the NDNU students who participate.

“The homeless individuals there look forward to this yearly event,” said Dr. Joseph. “By sharing lunch with them, we treat them with the respect that is otherwise missing from their lives. With us, they are not just nameless, faceless statistics to whom we pass out a sandwich like a soup kitchen. With us, for that day, they feel like they are part of our human community.”

Notre Dame de Namur University is a Catholic, not-for-profit, coeducational institution serving 2,000 traditional aged and adult students from diverse backgrounds. Established in 1851, by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, NDNU maintains a strong commitment to access for diverse populations, academic excellence, social justice and community engagement. The university is fully accredited and offers 40 undergraduate, graduate and credential programs.