Holy Water Ministry Update

Hello Friends,

I wanted to send along a brief update about Holy Water Ministry, otherwise known as “HolyWtr.”

HolyWtr is an embodied reflection on the socially constructed boundary between the sacred and the profane; while it helps the “world” outside, this work has been quite fruitful in my internal discernment about what it means to “see” God in other people.

A surprising finding is that 20% of those HolyWtr served last year are housed. Though not unsheltered, they cannot afford to pay cash for laundry services; the other benefits they receive are non-transferable. Laundry is effectively a monopoly business of proximity: owners can set exorbitant prices because most people will use the laundromat that is closest to them.

In less than a year - and only operating every other Sunday (bi-weekly) - HolyWtr provided fellowship to 94 people, washed and dried 20 loads of laundry, onboarded 14 people to a shelter waitlist and provided food and water to 25 people. We continue to be in pilot mode, but this begins to offer a small batch of data to validates the significant gaps that exist for basic services.

HolyWtr also hosted six volunteers who played a key role in delivering these services - thank you so much!

In 2024, HolyWtr received $800 in donations and a fiscal sponsorship from San Francisco Friends. Looking ahead, we aim to incorporate as a nonprofit in Q2 2025, enabling us to formalize operations. I am actively prospecting board members who share this vision of improving the material and spiritual well-being of San Francisco’s most vulnerable residents.

from Zae Illo, San Francisco Friends Meeting (1/17/2025)