At The Crossroads

I am in support of any organization in San Francisco that supports homeless youth. They walk the streets at nighttime reaching young people in their habitats. ATC helps to build young people’s lives and help to move them off the street.

Help the homeless WHILE devouring delectable Truffles??? Yep, you read right!
Last night, February 9^th was the second time that I’ve volunteered At The Crossroads (ATC) through One Brick, a non-​profit organization that makes volunteering easy with NO long-​term commitment. Here’s the link to my One Brick review:
WHAT’S ATC?
ATC is a wonderful organization that reaches out to homeless youths in the Mission and Tenderloin area through night time street outreach, one-​on-​one counseling services and collaboration with other social service agencies. The caring and compassionate staff at ATC refers to homeless youths as their «clients» which not only takes away the stigma some people may associate with the homeless but shows how much respect they have for them as a human being.
During the street outreach, the counselors distribute food, healthcare products, and clothes which slowly helps to build a relationship with their clients. Through counseling, the counselors help their clients determine their short-​term and long-​term goals (i.e. finding housing, gaining employment, pursuing their passion, etc) and work with various social service agencies to help them achieve their goals.
HOW DOES VOLUNTEERING HELP ATC?
By helping to sort, organize, clean, and/​or pack supplies to be distributed, it allows the counselors more face time with their clients. For example, if 25 volunteers help for 2 hours, counselors will have 50 ADDITIONAL HOURS to spend with their clients (instead of being bogged down with sorting/​organizing/​cleaning/​packing the supplies themselves).
HOW DO YOU VOLUNTEER FOR ATC?
I signed-​up through One Brick which takes less than 2 minutes. You register for an account, go on the calendar and RSVP for an event. The ATC event is called, «Supply Prep for the Homeless» and normally occurs one Wednesday a month from 6 – 8 PM. The event is limited to about 25 people and spaces get filled quickly, so make sure to sign-​up at least one week prior.
WHAT’S INVOLVED WHEN VOLUNTEERING FOR ATC?
It’s very simple, show up with a smile and a helping hand! :)
When you enter ATC, you’re greeted by a One Brick Event Manager who signs you in and gives you a nametag. Rob Gitin, Director & Co-​Founder of ATC will then explain the various workstations and what’s involved. Then, you can decide which activity you would like to partake in for the evening. ALL of the work is easy and not labor intensive.
There are normally 4 – 5 stations:
1. CANDY PACKING (My Fav): Pack chocolates and other sweets donated from the SF Food Bank into small individual zip lock bags.
2. TOILETRIES PACKING: Pack soap, deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, sanitary pads etc.
3. TIMBUK2 BAG CLEANING: ATC wants to ensure that all of their clients receive clean like-​new items, so volunteers wash minor stains and grime off, trim extra thread/​fabric and remove any debris stuck in the velcro.
4. SORT/​FOLD/​ORGANIZE CLOTHING: Sort through and fold t-​shirts, outerwear and jeans, and organize by gender and sizes. All of the clothing is new and donated by Old Navy and Levis.
5. GREETING CARD MAKING: Utilize your artistic and decorative skills by making Birthday Cards and ones for special occassions.
WHY YOU SHOULD VOLUNTEER FOR ATC?
The two-​hour volunteering events passes by very quickly especially when there’s music playing in the background, other volunteers to chitchat with and yummy snacks (fresh cut Asian pears and TRUFFLES) being passed out by Rob.
After every event, One Brick organizes a dinner nearby (e.g. Pancho Villa) where all volunteers are welcome and encouraged to join. This gives you a wonderful opportunity to make new friends and network outside of your social inner circle. You never know who you may meet right?
Most importantly, just taking two hours out of your busy schedule will help to improve the quality of life for these youths and empower them to transform their lives!
One of my 2011 resolutions was to volunteer at least 2 times a month and so far I’ve been successful thanks to ATC and One Brick…
Thank you both, for not only make volunteering easy and fun but also giving me a NEW APPRECIATION FOR LIFE and THE GIFT OF HUMILITY!

Do you want to get involved in a great cause, work with a great organization, meet great, committed people, and have a lot of fun at the same time — AT THE CROSSROADS is for you! There are many ways to get involved, from volunteer nights at the office on Valencia Street (clothing organization, birthday card making, supply replenishment, etc.), the «I think I can Campaign» (pick your cause and get your friends to support you with donations while you improve your life or make a fool of yourself — all for the homeless youth of San Francisco), take the Summer SunDay Hike on Mount Tam every August, or just send in a donation! I got involved last year and fell in love with the mission, values, people and campaign. ATC throws a kick-​ass party in January to start the I Think I Can Campaign that you won’t want to miss!!! This year it’s on January 20^th at Orsen. Check out the website and my campaign!
You’ll feel really, really good when you get involved with ATC!

There’s definitely a reason that all of the reviews are 5 stars — At the Crossroads is truly an amazing organization!
I’ve been volunteering there for about 8 months and every time I’m even more impressed with their organization and team!
They treat the clients they help and their volunteers with more respect than Disneyland! They must have a deal with some gourmet food vendors because they always have the best snacks.
OK, nice food is a minor point. Most importantly to me, they always utilize the volunteers well. We never feel like we are wasting our time and the projects are easy, fun, creative, fulfilling, interesting, etc.
The ATC team is the best part! They are so friendly, fun and appreciative!
You can sign up to volunteer directly through the ATC website or you can go through One Brick. Going with One Brick is fun because they usually go to dinner as a group afterwards.
Keep up the fantastic work ATC!

DISCLAIMER: Okay, I realize this review sounds a lot like an advertisement, but I swear I haven’t been bribed by anyone. :) I just have a TON of fun volunteering here, and I love the folks at ATC and their philosophy.
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Where do I even start with this awesome crew of people? I’ve been volunteering with ATC for a couple of years now, and they continue to rock my socks, month after month. ATC reaches out to homeless youth on the streets, the ones who don’t access traditional services and who aren’t getting support elsewhere.
The especially cool thing about ATC is that they don’t try to tell the clients what they need to do to improve their lives; ATC asks their clients how they can help them reach their goals. This unique outlook and respect for their clients is why I’m so impressed by this organization.
It’s the same outlook I have with my business clients — it’s ineffective and silly to assume that I know better than they do about their own needs. It’s infinitely better to ask a lot of good questions, learn as much as possible about the individual person, and work WITH them to find the best solution.
If you’re looking for a fun, low-​commitment way to volunteer, you can come to their monthly prep night (email
), or sign up for the OneBrick prep night (
) that Dory and Megan mentioned. I first discovered them through one of these supply prep nights, and it’s turned me into a superfan.
They also love donations of new clothing, and unused hotel toiletries, amongst other things. They have a pretty small office, so I definitely recommend calling or e-​mailing ahead to make sure they need your particular donation!

So I read the reviews and thought I’d take my used stuff there before I went to Community Thrift. I’m trudging up the stairs thinking to myself, «Who wants these ugly curtains and faded sheets? Maybe someone can use the curtains for a Halloween costume.» I get to the door and the director says hello and can he help me – err, he seemed a little surprised, so I would call before showing up – I think they have short business hours anyway (M-​F 3 – 5?). I told him I was dropping off some things and he asked what they were, what was their condition, etc., when these two young women come up and interrupt and say they’re here to pick up stuff. They see my arms full of things and asked if I was giving stuff away. I said yes, and she saw the things in my arms, and exclaimed, «SHEETS!» and asked what else I had. She was so excited about the curtains and the toiletries I had brought, I was really moved. She and her girlfriend just started to settle into the City, and said, «This kind of stuff really adds up,» and I felt humbled for having thought my stuff was crappy and maybe I should throw it away. I was disappointed I didn’t have a pillow for her, because she asked if I had any pillows. Unfortunately, Community Thrift had rejected my used pillows, curtain rod, and ironing board a month ago. I wish I had brought them here instead of trashing them.
Anyway, I probably did not follow the proper protocol, but I was touched by the experience.

I recently left SF and moved across the country, but realized I had a lot of things that I didn’t need/​want to bring with me.
So, what to do with an abundance of airline and hotel toiletries (e.g. soaps, shampoos, toothbrushes/​toothpaste), gently used and even some never-​used kitchenware, unopened non-​perishable food items (from my earthquake kit), silverware and other household odds and ends? I even had a large supply of Nutri-​System meals (nothing wrong with them, my stomach was just too sensitive to their preservatives) that I wanted to put to good use rather than throw away.
I found At The Crossroads on Unilocal (Megan’s review above) so I contacted them and they were so grateful to receive the big boxes of NutriSystem prepacked meals, toiletries, household and kitchen items. I’m so glad I was able to share these items with those who could get use from them… from what I learned, they’re a great organisation reaching out to youth on the streets.
SO, if you’re planning to move and have a lot of unused toiletries (admit it, we all take those little bottles from hotels on business trips and vacations) or have unopened food items, or household items, etc that could be used by others, give them a call. Easy location to drop off items, too… convenient, right in the Mission with metered parking in front.

I’ll second Megan K.‘s review. I volunteer for Crossroads through One Brick and sometimes during their own volunteer evenings, and it’s been such a great experience. The work is easy — putting together candy or supply packs, sorting clothing, etc., always in the company of great people. And the founder, Rob, is super nice, and an excellent host! (he always walks around offering a beverage or candy or fruit to all the volunteers). They can always use help in terms of donations (money, candy, toiletries, clothing) or simply your time. The two hours you spend putting together supplies is two hours that their staff gets to spend helping homeless teens. If you’re looking for a worthy organization to help out, look no further.

Crossroads is not just a great Eric Clapton album. This Crossroads, At the Crossroads (ATC) is an amazing organization in the Mission district that reaches out to homeless youth, focusing on homeless young people that are often missed by other social services. There’s all kinds of opportunities for volunteering with ATC whether it’s donating toiletries and other needed supplies or helping out for a couple of hours to organize and prep supplies for ATC counselors to use in their work. I’ve really enjoyed helping at the volunteer nights, which are a fun way to volunteer 1 – 2 hours sorting or prepping supplies, meet cool people, and know that the time you put in will be more time ATC can spend on further outreach. Rob, the founder, has a wonderful sense of humor and always has some goodies from the farmer’s market to share. If you’re looking for an satisfying way to help a good cause, I highly recommend checking out ATC.