St. Anthony's 75th Anniversary Book Release
For the Love of God by Barry Stenger
Saturday November 22, 2025 | 3-4pm
At the Tenderloin Museum | 398 Eddy St. SF, CA 94102
Free to attend | Register to attend via St. Anthony’s
As the St. Anthony Foundation marks 75 years, celebrate the impact and ingenuity of this essential Tenderloin organization that pioneered dignity-based social services in the neighborhood. TLM hosts the book release of For the Love of God, a new volume by Barry Stenger that chronicles St. Anthony’s extraordinary story and brings its transformative role in the TL into detailed focus.
For the Love of God tells the extraordinary 75-year story of St. Anthony Foundation, a beloved nonprofit rooted in San Francisco’s Tenderloin. Written by former Executive Director Barry Stenger, the book traces the evolution of an organization founded by Father Alfred Boeddeker, OFM. What began as a dining room for the hungry grew into a model of dignity-based integrated services for all in need. Through vivid stories, archival photos, and firsthand insights, the book reflects the Foundation’s enduring values of encounter, hospitality, and justice. From warm meals to housing, medical clinics to job training, this is more than a nonprofit origin story- it’s a testament to the healing power of serving with humility, compassion, and hope.
In the context of the history of the Tenderloin, the chronicle of St. Anthony’s is deeply intertwined with the narrative of the neighborhood, the quality of life for its many low-income residents past and present, as well as the tenor of social service work in the TL, San Francisco, and beyond. To this day, St. Anthony’s remains one of the main providers of not only warm meals but the abovementioned range of services. Fr. Alfred Boeddeker’s legacy looms large in the TL–the neighborhood’s main park & informal “town square” bears his name. Stenger’s new book draws on extensive archival research and institutional knowledge to bring the story of St. Anthony’s into detailed focus through a comprehensive organizational history. The publication of For the Love of God marks an important new entry into the canon of Tenderloin history and lore. To celebrate, join the St. Anthony Foundation at the Tenderloin Museum for a book release event with the author on Saturday November 22, 2025 from 3-4pm. The event is free to attend, and food/drink will be served. Registration is encouraged via this link.