Voices of the Community

I think if anything, there's been more light and more sort of like, an awareness, right. Of small businesses, and how people really need to support the small businesses to, continue to contribute to the economy.” - Pooja Rajani  In this episode, our featured voices are Andrea Baker the founder of both Andrea Baker Consulting and the nonprofit En 2 Action along with Pooja Rajani the Director of Pro...

“Yes, it’s a pandemic, and yes, we have to stay safe, but we have to learn how to help each other. We have to learn how to support each other’s businesses. We have to learn how to support each other’s families.” - Michelle Pusateri, Granola Master, Founder In this episode, our featured voice is Michelle Pusateri from Nana Joes Granola. Nana Joes Granola is a wonderful example of a local manufactur...

“giving a voice to the manufacturing sector, to the City, our funders, everyone, hopefully the public, and then really helping manufacturers know and talk to each other and often partner with each other, which we’re always super happy to see.” - Pierre Coeurdeuil, SF Made In this episode, our featured voice is Pierre Coeurdeuil, Director of Advising & Education, at SFMade. San Francisco had forgot...

“I think places like ours where you can come in, sit down and enjoy a full service dining experience; there’s something culturally refueling about that, about sharing a meal with folks” — Jeff Trenam, Owner, Blue Plate SF In this episode, our featured voices are Jeff Trenam, Owner, and Shannon Walter the manager of Blue Plate SF a restaurant located on Mission and Valencia Streets in San Francisco...

“We've also learned is that, human connection cannot be replaced by video connection. The human touch cannot be replaced by remote. And so we are hoping soon to get back to that stage where we can see people in a room. We can, hold somebody's hand, we can look somebody in the eye, and hear their story and support them.“ - Doug Styles In this episode, our featured voice is Doug Styles, the Executiv...

We’re championing a new generation of younger artists who were also looking at ways to make this art form relevant, contemporary, and even more equitable” Author - Melanie Smith In this episode, our featured voice is Melanie Smith, President of San Francisco Performances. San Francisco Performances is an innovative curator of established classical music, jazz, and dance artists as well as a leadin...

"Arts and culture really drive San Francisco. A lot of folks think of San Francisco as being a tech city, which we are. But the number one industry in San Francisco is tourism. And there would be no tourism in San Francisco if it weren't for arts and culture." Author: John Caldon This week's show is focused on our arts and culture sector which generates $1.45 billion in annual economic activity in...

In this episode, our featured voice is Meghan Freebeck, the CEO and founder of Simply the Basics. Simply the Basics is focused on providing access to hygiene for our fellow community members who cannot provide this most basic need for themselves and their families. Simply the Basics has created a unique National Hygiene Bank Model as well as piloting an Open Marketplace for people to list in-kind...

In this episode, our featured voice is Kami Griffiths, the executive director and co-founder of Community Tech Network. In the 21st Century, access to the internet and devices to participate in the global public square has become a human right. The Covid-19 pandemic has again provided us an X-Ray vision of all the negative impacts on our fellow citizens who do not have access to the internet. In a...

“We give a platform to artists and writers who might not have one otherwise to be a voice to the public” In this podcast episode our featured voice is Alexandra Washkin, the Design & Communications Director of City Arts and Lectures. This fall, City Arts & Lectures launches its 40th season virtually from the Sydney Goldstein Theater. The Sydney Goldstein Theater was the old Nourse Auditorium that...

Making sure that not a single, older adult client, missed a meal, during the pandemic” In this episode our featured voice is Jim Oswald, the Director of Marketing and Communications for Meals on Wheels, San Francisco. Over their 50 years of operations in San Francisco Meals on Wheels is the only organization to provide homebound seniors two home-delivered meals a day 7 days a week. In addition to...

In this episode we feature the voices of Lucie Faulknor Dawn Logsdon the CoFounders of Serendipity Films. I had the wonderfulI opportunity of working with Dawn and Lucie back in 2012 as an intern on their films Faubourg Treme: The Untold Story of Black New Orleans and Free For All.  What immediately struck me in working with Lucie and Dawn is their passion for telling untold stories of people and...

In this episode we feature the voices of Rose Oser, the Associate Artistic Director and Shafer Mazow the Managing Director of Z Space. Z Space has become one of the nation’s leading laboratories for developing new voices, new works, and new opportunities in American theater. Z Space’s performances span a variety of disciplines, including theater, dance, visual art, music and performance art. Throu...

In this episode we feature the voice of Laurie Thomas, the Executive Director of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association. The Golden Gate Restaurant Association has been around since 1936 and has supported the efforts of local small business owners to address such issues as collective labor agreements, racketeering and food rationing during World War Two.  Over the decades the association helped it...

In this episode we feature the voice of Meghan Freebeck, the Chief Executive Officer of Project Homeless Connect. Back in 2004 the City of San Francisco was struggling with both the growth of community members becoming homeless and how to provide the necessary wrap around services to help them off the streets. The City of San Francisco was implementing the Care Not Cash Program to help homeless Sa...

In this episode we feature the voices of Susan Harloe and JoAnne Winter Co-Artistic Directors along with Amy Prosser, the Youth Arts Program Coordinator of Word for Word Performing Arts Company. Over the past 25 plus years Word For Word  has theatrically transcribed and performed over 70 stories by some of the world’s best writers.  Word for Word brings short stories to life with both exciting vis...

In this episode we feature the voice of Shannon Eizenga,(Zynga) the Executive Director of The Gubbio Project. The Gubbio Project at St Boniface in the Tenderloin and St John's the Evangelist in the Mission districts of San Francisco provide sanctuaries for safe and sacred sleep in their pews to over 200 unhoused neighbors. In an effort to remove all barriers to providing a safe space, there are no...

In this episode we feature the voices of Emily Maksymiuk the Managing Director along with Board Members Risa Schwartz and Maureen McCarthy of the Children’s Book Project. Over the last 28 years The Children's Book Project has given away free books for children who need them. Additionally, all those who serve children and need books such as teachers, public-health workers, childcare providers, home...

In this episode we feature the voice of Sammie Rayner, Chief Programming Officer with Community Forward SF. Over the past 40 plus years Community Forward SF has been helping our unhoused community members to move off the street, find comprehensive services and stabilize their lives. Community Forward SF serves over 6,000 unhoused community members annually. Some of the most vulnerable community me...

In this episode we feature the voices of Doniece Sandoval founder and Kris Kepler Chief Program & Strategy Officer of LavaMaeX. I first met Doniece back in 2014 when she was launching lava mae through her innovative idea of converting old Muni Buses into Mobile Showers. To find out more about the origins of lava mae please listen to Episode Two in my three part series titled Homeless in San Franci...

In this episode we feature the voice of Katy McKnight, the Director of Community Engagement with the San Francisco Marin Food Bank. The San Francisco Marin Food Bank’s mission is to end hunger in San Francisco and Marin where one in four neighbors is at risk of hunger. The Food Bank was providing food for Thirty Thousand households per week. This was all before the Covid 19 pandemic hit and tens o...

In this episode we feature the voice of Kevin Adler, the Founder and CEO of Miracle Messages. Kevin started Miracle Messages in honor of his uncle Mark, who lived on-and-off the streets for 30 years. Miracle Messages helps reunite families through helping community members who are unhoused to record short video messages to a family member. Volunteers, referring nonprofit and government partners or...

Title: “Support all of the performers, artists, designers, directors, writers, and technicians, whenever you can” In this episode we feature the voice of Michael Gene Sullivan, a Board Member, writer, director and performer of The San Francisco Mime Troupe. Over the past Sixty Plus Years The San Francisco Mime Troupe Collective has created and produced theater through the lens of the working class...

This is a special episode of Voices of the Community featuring the voices of Meghan Freebeck, and Carla Praglin of Project Homeless Connect.  Since my mom died back in the fall of 2016 I have used some of the monies I inherited from her to support the work of Project Homeless Connect through an annual holiday crowdfunding campaign. Over the past two years together with friends, family, and listene...

In the process of producing the documentary series, "From Bankruptcy to Reinvention The City of Stockton California", I wanted to provide our listeners with an update on the work of the community members featured in the documentary series. I decided to host a Townhall Meeting and bring together as many of the voices featured in the radio documentary series to update the community and lis...