A dedicated volunteer whose legacy lives on through his bequest to GLIDE’s Daily Free Meals program

Longtime volunteer Jonathan Leong passed away on October 19, 2017, leaving a very generous bequest to GLIDE’s Daily Free Meals program. Just days after creating his living trust, he told his sister Bonnie, “A person dies. A great charity organization lives on and on, helping the poor and needy.”

A native San Franciscan who grew up in Chinatown, Jonathan gave his time and money to many nonprofits.

Jonathan was born near Vallejo and Mason streets, just one mile away from GLIDE. He attended Lowell High School and graduated from San Jose State University. He worked in San Francisco for the US Postal Service for nearly four decades.

Jonathan had a wide range of interests. He loved learning new languages and was fluent in Cantonese, Japanese, Spanish and German. Inspired by his father, Jonathan traveled all through Europe and Asia. He loved Montreal and went there annually to attend the International Jazz Festival. His favorite hobby was chess, and he was a frequent visitor to The Mechanics Institute’s famous chess room.

When Jonathan retired, he started volunteering at St. Anthony’s and GLIDE’s dining halls.

His sister Bonnie describes her brother as someone who was a big believer in community. He wanted to help those less fortunate, she explains, people who had less than he did. In addition to GLIDE and St. Anthony’s, Jonathan also supported the Red Cross and the Salvation Army, organizations that reflected his values.

“Volunteers like Jonathan are the heart and soul of what we do here in the Meals program, which is nourishing the body and soul every day,” says Daily Free Meals Program Director George Gundry. “We rely on them (up to 85 volunteers a day) for their generous donation of labor in getting food prepped and served for hundreds of folks a day, but it’s really so much more than that. The human connection made across this most fundamental social act, the offering of food to a neighbor, is a powerful experience for both sides. It’s impossible to measure, but you feel it here. I know Jonathan felt it. We all do.”

Jonathan completed his living trust and gave a copy to his sister, not knowing that he had only a year of life remaining. Jonathan’s legacy of love and support will live on through a substantial bequest gift he made to support GLIDE’s Daily Free Meals program. We are extraordinarily grateful and humbled by his generosity.

Hallie Brignall is GLIDE’s Annual Fund Manager. If you would like information on making your own legacy gift to GLIDE, you can reach Hallie at (415) 674-6186, or HBrignall@glide.org. Or visit www.myglidelegacy.org 

GLIDE Volunteer serves a meal in Mo’s Kitchen