Shanti Contacts

For a full listing of staff, please visit our Staff Page.

Visit www.shanti.org/about-us/staff

Shanti continues to operate and provide essential services.

On March 31, the City and County of San Francisco issued a public order, replacing the March 16 shelter in place order. The new order extends and tightens the “stay safe at home” restrictions through May 3. 

Shanti Project is here for you and continues to provide essential services, including care navigation, peer support, and delivery of medication. Our staff is working remotely to provide these essential services, so our physical offices will remain closed through May 3. Non-essential activities, including Groups and Activities Desk, remain suspended.

We know these are particularly challenging times. Please continue to reach out to your care navigator for care navigation, to express concerns, or ask questions.

Dear PAWS Clients,

We hope you are doing ok during this strange time. The City and County of San Francisco has extended the shelter in place requirement through at least May 3rd. We would like to let you know how this affects your PAWS services.

PAWS is here for you.
We are continuing to provide essential services, with some modifications.
The PAWS office is currently closed.  We are working remotely and have adapted a number of our services.

We want to help you and your pet(s). Please reach out to your PAWS Care Navigator with any requests for care navigation or to ask questions. Please note the following modifications to our services:

• Food Bank:
  • Clients on delivery will continue to receive deliveries, but on a modified schedule.
  • There will be no Saturday Food Banks at the PAWS office. However, clients can call their CN to schedule a pick-up appointment.
• PAWS will continue to pay for Vet Care at the SPCA, Blue Cross, Mission Pet Hospital, All Pets, and other partner vet hospitals. Please call before coming in, because some vet offices have limited hours or limited services.
• PAWS Ask the Vet services have been cancelled through May 3. Please call us for veterinary questions and one of our volunteer vets may be able to talk with you by phone.
• Dog Walking is continuing on a case-by-case basis. Please talk with your walker(s) to discuss your situation. If you continue, please limit physical contact with each other and the pet(s).
• Dog Washes at Pet Food Express have been cancelled through May 3.
• For Emergency Pet Foster Care or other pet support needs, please talk with your PAWS Care Navigator.

How to get in touch with PAWS:

-For clients with last names beginning with letters A-J, please contact Ali Sutch by email at asutch@shanti.org or by phone at 415-265-9208.

-For clients with last names beginning with letters K-Z, please call 415-815-8244 or email rgoldman@shanti.org. Richard Goldman has retired, but a PAWS staff member will respond as soon as possible.

Please reach out to let us know how we can support you and your pets during these challenging times.

Warmly,

Katherine, Prado, Ali, Lolo, and Norma

Dear Peer Support Volunteers,

Thank you for your support as we all navigate this coronavirus pandemic.

We would like to inform you of recent updates from the City and County of San Francisco and Shanti as well as reshare our recommendations for working with clients at this time.

Updates from the City and County of San Francisco:
On March 31, the City and County of San Francisco issued a public order, extending the one previously issued on March 16. The new order extends and tightens the “stay safe at home” restrictions for an additional 26 days, through May 3.

Updates from Shanti:
Shanti remains operational but has extended its physical office closure through May 3. As before, even though our brick-and-mortar spaces will be closed, we will still be able to provide essential services and care navigation by phone to our clients. Similarly, we are extending our temporary suspension of non-essential services, including groups, activities desk, and non-essential in-person appointments.

For Peer Support Volunteers:
Likewise, we continue to ask that peer support volunteers refrain from non-essential in-person meetings with their clients during this time and utilize alternative means of communication to stay connected. By “non-essential” we are referring to in-person emotional support meetings and light housework. Please continue to check in with your client via phone during this time period as they may be feeling particularly isolated.

Essential Services and Peer Support Volunteers:
If you are the primary provider of grocery/food and medication delivery, this is considered an essential service, and we ask that you use your best judgment regarding the continuation of this support.

If you decide to continue this essential support, we ask:

• If possible, limit your use of public transportation when traveling to and from your client
• Practice social distancing (the recommendation by the city is to maintain six feet of distance)
• Maintain sanitation practices in all aspects of your life, not just when interacting with your client.
• Before and after interacting with your client, you should wash your hands with soap and water. If this is not an option, use an alcohol based sanitizer.
• Limit physical interaction with your client.

We ask that you do not provide this support if:

• You are age 60+ and/or living with a compromised immune system.
• You are sick or are caring for someone who is.

If you cannot or decide not to continue essential support:

• Please contact your care navigator or Volunteer Services staff.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact your care navigator or Volunteer Services staff. If you are the primary provider of grocery/food and medication delivery to your client and are unable or do not feel comfortable to continue providing this support, please inform your care navigator as soon as possible.

If you have any questions, concerns, or need support Volunteer Services and care navigators are here. Feel free to send us an email or give us a call.

With gratitude,

Shanti Volunteer Services Team

Hello PAWS Volunteers,

I hope you are all faring well and in good health. Thank you for your continued support and patience as we navigate the needs of our clients and larger community in the midst of this public health crisis.

I’m writing to update you on our office closures and service modifications.  The City of San Francisco has updated and extended the shelter-in-place order at least through May 3^rd. In response, we are extending our office closures and modified services to at least May 3^rd. Shanti Project continues to be an essential service for our clients, and we will continue to operate modified services with all necessary health and safety protocols in place, including limited staff and volunteers.

Ask the Vet Clinics and volunteers are canceled for April, and early May.

Dog Walkers continue to provide an essential service for our clients. Dog walkers must maintain mandatory social distancing and sanitation practices.

PAWS Pet Food Bank continues to serve our clients during shelter-in-place through delivery and appointment-only pick up.

COVID-19 Emergency Response Volunteer (CERV) Program

As a leader in volunteer support services for isolated and medically vulnerable members of our community, Shanti Project is partnering with the City of San Francisco to provide one time or occasional practical support to older and vulnerable adults during the Coronavirus pandemic. You can learn more here.

The PAWS team continues to work remotely. If you have any questions or concerns, we are available during our usual business hours. Please feel free to reach out.

Stay safe and take care of one another,

Lolo Fernandez (he & they pronouns)
Food Bank & Client Services Coordinator
Shanti Project | PAWS Program

(P) 415.625.5216 (F) 415.979.9269

Hi PAWS Dog Walking Volunteers,

 I hope you are all in good health and finding ways to be gentle with yourselves during this stressful time.

 If you haven’t seen ,Mayor London Breed issued a city-wide “shelter in place” for all non-essential travel and activity. While the order limits non-essential travel outside of the home, many essential businesses and services will remain open, including those that offer social and practical support to disadvantaged individuals. The Shanti Project falls under this category as an essential service to our community, and as such, is not affected by the shelter-in-place order. That being said, we are scaling back our operations and personnel in our effort to reduce the community-level spread of COVID-19 as well as the individual risk to our clients, staff, and volunteers.

I’m sure many of you are wondering how this news will impact your dog walking relationship with your clients and their pets. At this time, we are asking volunteers to be in conversation with their clients about their needs, fears, and risk and how that relates to the dog walking service you provide. If, for any reason, you or your client are uncomfortable with continuing your relationship at this time, you may of course suspend your dog walking indefinitely.

Some examples of when you might want to suspend dog walking include:

–          If you or someone you care for is age 60+ or living with a compromised immune system

–          If you are sick or are caring for someone who is sick

If you and your client would like to continue dog walking, we ask:

–          If possible, limit your use of public transportation when traveling to and from your client

–          Practice social distancing (the recommendation by the city is to maintain 6 feet of distance)

–       Maintain sanitation practices in all aspects of your life, not just when interacting with your client.

–          Before and after interacting with your client or their pet, you should wash your hands with  soap and water. If this is not an option, use an alcohol-based sanitizer.

–          Limit physical interaction with your client and their pet. This includes touching, petting, or receiving kisses from the dog.

–          If you need to pick up the dog for safety reasons, please remember to sanitize or wash your hands afterwards.

 We believe that each of you in conversation with your clients can come up with the best way forward. In times like this, we are so grateful to the community and connections we have built at Shanti. We understand the risk to individuals as well as communities that this novel virus poses. We also hold how critical it is to our clients to remain connected and to continue to receive the essential support you offer. 

If you decide that you are unable to offer dog walking at this time, please let myself, your client, as well as your dog walking team know. I encourage you to reach out to your client over phone or text over the coming weeks to check in, even if you aren’t able to offer dog walking. 

The PAWS staff will be working remotely, so please continue to reach out to me with any questions, concerns, or needs.

Whatever way forward is best for you and yours, I’m wishing you all good health and even some joy in the coming weeks.

Take care of each other,

Lolo Fernandez

(he & they pronouns)

Food Bank & Client Services Coordinator

Shanti Project | PAWS Program

(P) 415.625.5216

(F) 415.979.9269