My name is Vincent Smith.  I’m 61.  I’ve been coming to GLIDE since 1993. I’m originally from Richmond, Virgina. My 12-year-old daughter was killed by a drunk driver. I knew the person who did it, but did not want to take any action for fear of any repercussions. Frankly, I was just too scared to go back home. So, I moved to California.  

Her passing is a part of me that’s gone. It’s never coming back. But when I arrived in San Francisco, I heard about GLIDE. And I’ve been coming to ever since to the meal services. I used to make use of GLIDE’s health clinic, where I received assistance for my mental health.

I also worked part-time for the city and would come to GLIDE on Wednesdays and Thursdays for lunch. But I’ve been a Thanksgiving regular for a while now, including Christmas. Thanksgiving is family time, and I normally would have been with my family back in Virginia.   

But since I can’t, GLIDE is my number two, and I consider it my adopted family. And all of the volunteers who come here to serve on Thanksgiving, I’m so grateful for all of them. These are the people I know. Most of the people I know on the streets are doing drugs like Cocaine and Fentanyl. I’ve seen too many of them die, as a result. But GLIDE is like a brother to me.