San Francisco, CA, April 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On April 11th, 2023, Swords to Plowshares will host the ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of the new Veterans Community Center (VCC), along with Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi whose support made the project possible.
“Under the patriotic leadership of Michael Blecker, Swords to Plowshares has long been a pillar of health, housing and hope for Bay Area veterans,” Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi said. “The new Veterans Community Center, assisted by Community Project Funding we secured from Congress, will help Swords to Plowshares continue to serve thousands of our most vulnerable heroes. Starting next week, San Francisco veterans in need will benefit from the Center’s expanded hours, nutritious meals and community-building activities: another important step in honoring our sacred duty to care for those who served our Country.”
The VCC reimagines Swords to Plowshares’ decades-old Drop-in Center, adding an additional 5,000 square feet, evening and weekend hours, and additional programming including daily meals, transportation, support groups, and wellness programming such as art therapy and yoga. The goal of the VCC is to increase critical services and address issues such as isolation and access for senior veterans, unhoused veterans, and those with disabling conditions.
“Since the 1970s our Drop-in Center has been the primary point of entry for thousands of highly vulnerable veterans, but we know that veterans need help beyond traditional business hours,” said Michael Blecker, executive director of Swords to Plowshares. “Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi has been an amazing champion for our nation’s veterans and within our local community. The Veterans Community Center is the latest example of her inspiring commitment and leadership.”
A ribbon-cutting event to commemorate the opening of the Veterans Community Center will take place on April 11th at 10:30 am with a small group of key supporters and veteran clients.
The funding for the VCC was made available thanks to a Congressional Community Project Funding supported by Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi and contributions from San Francisco Human Services Agency, Bothin Foundation, Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, Craig Newmark Philanthropies, and William G. Gilmore Foundation.
Swords to Plowshares’ Veterans Community Center Grand Opening
Tuesday, April 11th, 2023
10:30 am – 12 pm
1060 Howard Street, 3rd Floor
San Francisco, CA 94103
About Swords to Plowshares
Founded in 1974, Swords to Plowshares is a community-based not-for-profit organization that provides supportive housing programs, housing placement and eviction prevention services, mental health counseling, employment and job training, and legal benefits assistance for low-income, unhoused and at-risk veterans in the San Francisco Bay Area. Swords to Plowshares promotes and protects the rights of veterans through advocacy, public education, and partnerships with local, state and national entities. Learn more about the work of Swords to Plowshares, and ways in which you can help, by visiting our website at Swords to Plowshares (swords-to-plowshares.org)
