Who knew a sandwich could make such a huge difference in someone’s life? Meredith Anderson definitely didn’t, until an encounter she had with a man when volunteering in the Tenderloin. While walking around the neighborhood passing out sandwiches and leading an eager group of volunteers, Meredith came across a man who was said something to her she would never forget: “People like you are the reason I’m motivated to find a job and housing.”
“I didn’t think a sandwich could do that,” Meredith says. Instances like this remind Meredith of why she’s passionate about what she does and so deeply loves being a SCCAP Coordinator.
Meredith is the Program Coordinator for Project Open Hand. Every Friday evening she takes a group of volunteers to the Tenderloin in San Francisco and they deliver meals made by Project Open Hand to their clinets’ apartments throughout the Tenderloin. For the most part, the clients they deliver meals to are terminally ill or elderly. Along the route, the group also passes out sandwiches and clementines to people on the street. This quarter, she has also been collecting socks from students and other volunteers to give out too!
Her favorite thing about being a SCCAP coordinator is the variety of people she gets to meet and work with.
“I love being on staff because I think it’s so important to advocate for marginalized groups, like those who are unhoused or who experience extreme poverty. I have met so many amazing people on staff who also share the same love for social justice.”
Originally from a suburb outside Chicago, Meredith now lives on the first floor of McLaughlin-Walsh. When she’s not busy driving a group of volunteers to the Tenderloin or planning events with the rest of the SCCAP team, she works hard at her environmental science major and sociology minor. She also enjoys trail running and going on Into the Wild trips. Her favorite memory at SCU is from her trip to the Grand Canyon with Into the Wild, because it was so incredibly beautiful and she met amazing people.
Fun fact—Meredith is currently training for the Big Sur Marathon in April, and recently she ran 14 miles! She also ran the Chicago Marathon in 2013. Wow, what doesn’t this girl do?
While she’s not yet sure exactly what career path she’s taking after graduation, she hopes to work with a nonprofit relating to environmental justice or any kind of social justice. When asked where she sees herself in 10 years, she says “It sounds cheesy, but I want to work for a nonprofit that makes me happy.”
More fun facts:
Meredith’s spirit animal is the bison. “We don’t have many similar qualities, but I think they’re just super cool.”
If she could have a superpower, she would choose to teleport.
Her pet peeve is people who don’t listen, or act like they’re listening but don’t.