The San Francisco Bay Area rates among the most expensive places to live in America, which is why you may find more people pinching their pennies than giving them away. But in the Tenderloin, a block considered to be one of the grittiest in town, you’ll find a seed of inspiration: two French-speaking nuns, Sister Mary Benedicte and Sister Mary of the Angels, that prepare food for hundreds of homeless each week. The sisters have been running their kitchen for 8 years. This past January, however, they were ordered to pay $5,500 per month – a 60% increase from their rent now – or face eviction. Although it’s a hefty price for anyone to pay, their situation is especially difficult as their only source of income is made from selling pastries at a farmers’ market. Sister Mary Valerie from their religious order’s headquarters in Chicago flew in to help find a solution. Enter in Tony Robbins, motivational speaker and author. He donated $25K to their cause after reading about it in the paper. Mary Valerie together with Robbins and his staff also sat down with the landlord’s and the nuns’ lawyers for a little chat. In the end, they struck a deal: the nuns would be able to stay for a year at their current rent. Robbins was once homeless, too, but considered himself lucky because he at least had a car to lodge in. He explained that the experience changed the course of his life forever. Today, he works as an adviser for presidents and CEOS, runs a personal foundation, among a variety of generous and ambitious projects. The sisters will use the money, along with another donation Robbins had promised to make in the near future, to move to another location. A few others have been following their story in the media and donated to help save their kitchen.
