Tenderloin Tessie

We San Franciscans

...and we've been at it for 50 years!

About

We're Tenderloin Tessie, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with a mission to feed and support our fellow San Franciscans.

To give is to receive.

For 50 years, Tenderloin Tessie has been providing holiday dinners on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter for vulnerable San Franciscans.

People fed: 100,000+
Website: tenderlointessie.com
Phone: +1 (415) 584-3252 (do not text)
City: San Francisco, USA

Board Members: 11
Active since: 1974
Email: tenderlointessie@gmail.com
Volunteer: You!

We love newcomers. Please reach out to us by phone or email and join the fun!

Happy people est. per holiday

Volunteers in total

Dollars spent on paid staff

Served and counting!

Our History

From humble beginnings in 1974 to today.

The Beginning

Tessie was the drag name of Perry Spink, a local performer/bartender who was very familiar with the people and character of the Tenderloin District in San Francisco during the 60’s and 70’s. Legend has it that on Thanksgiving in 1974, he received several turkeys and was inspired to cook and serve them to the local Tenderloin residents (with the help of less-than-sober bar buddies). It was a gesture that showed the San Francisco Community that no matter who you were, there was someone who cared.

The dinners continued on a monthly basis for a while. It was a Godsend for the little blue haired women of the neighborhood who were trying to live off meager social security checks. These dinners, served on the last Thursdays of the month, garnered Tessie many honors and she earned the title of Empress 15 in 1980.

Along with the dinners, Tessie started the tradition of giving gift bags along with the meals, a tradition that lives on today. These bags contain donated items such as toiletries, socks, gloves and an assortment of non-perishable food.

Tessie's Passing

Sadly, Tessie died in 1984 but the meals continued on an uneven basis. Three years later, the name Tenderloin Tessie Holiday Dinners was created and the meals became a holiday tradition on Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. They were served at a church on the corner of Eddy and Gough and began focusing on the needs of those suffering from AIDS and the growing number of homeless throughout the city.

A Rough Start

The meals were a very satisfying way to help the community, but were becoming very large and were a great deal of work and stress for the few volunteers who loosely made up the board at the time. The program suffered a severe blow when the church burned to the ground in 1995. With the board in limbo and no place to stage the meals, many members felt it was time to move on.

A new board came together and the meals were moved to the present location, the First Unitarian Universalist church on Franklin and Geary. Since that time, the organization has become a non-profit, is stronger than ever, and always mindful of the original mission of Tenderloin Tessie to help anyone in need.

The Modern Era

In 2004 a new board took over with Michael Gagne as the board president. He added clothing from St. Anthony's and live entertainment, by the songstress of Tenderloin Tessie, Vanessa Bousay. Various other things have been added throughout the 20 years Michael has been involved: Free showers by Lava Mae, Open House coming to see if any LGBT seniors need housing, free phones were given away, people to check if clients needed help with Medicare and to this day - free haircuts by Love Cuts ~ a pop-up barber shop.

For over 50 years, Tenderloin Tessie Holiday Dinners, an all-volunteer organization, has fed the community of San Francisco on Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. We work hard to prepare a bountiful meal, a smile and a gift to all of our patrons in a welcoming environment.

Our dinners average a thousand people each holiday and take place at the First Unitarian Church at the corner of Franklin Street and Geary Boulevard.

Everyone is welcome!

Events

Upcoming Activities!

Title	Date	Start	End	Venue	Address
Title	Date	Start	End	Venue	Address
Eagle Beer Bust Benefiit	Sunday, Sep 1	3 p.m.	7 p.m.	The Eagle	398 12th St, San Francisco, CA 94103
Folsom Street Fair Beer Booth	Sunday, Sep 29	9 a.m.	7 p.m.	Folsom Street Fair	Folsom St and 10th St, San Francisco, CA
Locker Inventory - Thanksgiving	Saturday, Oct 26	9 a.m.	noon	Bayshore Storage	455 Allan St, Daly City, CA 94014
Stuffing Turkey for Turkey Pluck	Wednesday, Oct 30	7 p.m.	9 p.m.	Michael's House	San Francisco, CA
Turkey Pluck in Bars		Friday, Nov 1	Thursday, Nov 28	Bars - TRAX, The Cinch, Gold Cane, etc.	TBD
Truck Help - Thanksgiving	Wednesday, Nov 27	10:30 a.m.	3 p.m.	Bayshore Storage	455 Allan St, Daly City, CA 94014
Thanksgiving Dinner	Thursday, Nov 28	1 p.m.	4 p.m.	First Unitarian Universalist Church	1187 Franklin St, San Francisco, CA 94109
Unload the Truck and Take Christmas Inventory	Saturday, Nov 30	10 a.m.	2 p.m.	Bayshore Storage	455 Allan St, Daly City, CA 94014
Tenderloin Tessie's 6th Annual Christmas Caberet Spectatular	Friday, Dec 6	7 p.m.	10 p.m.	First Unitarian Universalist Church	1187 Franklin St, San Francisco, CA 94109
Truck Help - Christmas	Tuesday, Dec 24	10:30 a.m.	3 p.m.	Bayshore Storage	455 Allan St, Daly City, CA 94014
Christmas Dinner	Wednesday, Dec 25	1 p.m.	4 p.m.	First Unitarian Universalist Church	1187 Franklin St, San Francisco, CA 94109
Unload The Truck - Christmas	Friday, Dec 27	10:30 a.m.	noon	Bayshore Storage	455 Allan St, Daly City, CA 94014