By Nicholas David

The One Richmond office, the Clement Street outpost of the Richmond Neighborhood Center (RNC), is narrow and unassuming, flanked by more colorful storefronts like Exploring Music and Hamburger Haven. The confused passersby would be forgiven for not knowing what the storefront is for.

“We’ve got a bit of a branding problem,” joked Rozie Wong Gillies, One Richmond’s program coordinator. Wong Gillies will readily explain to the unaware neighbor that her office is a program of the RNC – separate but connected to the larger non-profit – and that it is not, in fact, a government office, despite being founded as a passion project of former District 1 Supervisor Sandra Lee Fewer.

Instead, One Richmond is a versatile and ambitious community-building project, maintained almost entirely by a team of one (“I’m the program coordinator, and I’m pretty much it,” Wong Gillies said) dedicated to connecting people in the Richmond to the multitude of resources available to them. And, for what it’s worth, they’re pretty good at it.

The One Richmond Community Market offers free food to neighborhood residents experiencing food insecurity. Every Wednesday, Wong Gillies and a team of volunteers set up their alternative food pantry model, which provides fresh food to about 70 neighbors. Made possible by funding from the San Francisco Human Services Agency, the community market is not only designed to resemble the experience of shopping at a local grocery store, but stocks the same fresh, nourishing and locally appropriate foods as markets in the area.

Rather than herding people through a line, the community market opens its doors to participants throughout the afternoon, giving them the space and time to make decisions about the food they take home. Offering culturally appropriate ingredients for its participants is one of Wong Gillies’s top priorities. She noted that most of the participants in the community market are monolingual Chinese speakers, but also that the program is a demographic representation of the diversity of the Richmond District.

From this diversity of backgrounds and in the cultural context of Clement Street, Wong Gillies has crafted a resource that does not assert itself as central to the community, but rather places community at its center. Ingredients might vary week to week based on input from program participants and are sourced whenever possible from local merchants. For Wong Gillies, spending money from SF Human Services at local Richmond markets makes sense; it is aligned with One Richmond’s philosophy of supporting and uplifting small businesses.

Finding ways to stimulate the local economy has been a goal at the center of much of One Richmond’s work. It often holds events, such as the Lunar New Year street festival, which brought together dozens of political and nonprofit organizations, food vendors, and artists in celebration of the Chinese Holiday. Its “Shop Eat Local First” (SELF) initiative seeks to encourage patronage at local businesses by presenting a platform for merchants to offer discounts to Richmond neighborhood residents. SELF is perhaps the widest-reaching and most accessible program offered by One Richmond, available to any and all residents of the Richmond District. Local businesses can opt in to the program by accepting SELF cards (distributed by One Richmond) as coupons for certain discounts or deals. Here, merchants have full discretion over the kind of deal they offer. The program presents mutual economic benefits for residents and merchants, directing the flow of commerce inward to the Richmond and allowing residents to save money amid the rising costs of living.

Wong Gillies frames the SELF program beyond dollars and cents, though, emphasizing the potential of experiencing the City in new ways.

“We’re just letting people know that, hey, there are these great restaurants out here, you don’t have to go to the same one you always go to,” she said.

Wong Gillies also made clear the program’s goal to support women-owned and immigrant-owned businesses. The SELF program makes possible a unique expansion of the overall residential network, offering a new way for merchants and residents to participate in the rich and vibrant life of the neighborhood together.

Although One Richmond offers generalized services aimed at certain groups in the community, one of the program’s greatest strengths is its versatility in connecting residents to the specific resources they need. Here, the value of talking to people about their needs – not in shame, but in care – becomes apparent as an effective way of building community. From respite care to home food delivery, Wong Gillies is a walking directory for all of the programs offered by the often-confusing web of government agencies and non-profit organizations.

“We’re not just for youth, we’re not just for seniors,” she told me. “We’ve got something for everybody.”

Interested community market volunteers are encouraged to navigate to the program’s website (onerichmondsf.com), or to the Richmond Neighborhood Center (richmondsf.org) for a more extensive list of volunteer opportunities. Richmond neighbors can pick up a SELF card at the One Richmond office at 802 Clement St. Office hours are Tuesday through Friday, noon-5 p.m. The office will be closed most of July, except for the market which will be open Wednesdays, 1-4 p.m. Check the website for updates.