By Amiya Seetharam

At the One Richmond office of The Richmond Neighborhood Center (TRNC) on Clement Street near Ninth Avenue, John Fong can be found greeting neighbors, carrying groceries and trading jokes with fellow volunteers. Around Clement Street and Geary Boulevard, he’s better known as the “mayor” – a title he brushes off with a laugh.

To the people who know him, it’s another way of saying he’s watching out for the neighborhood.

“He knows pretty much each corner of Clement and Geary,” said Lisa Ho, a Richmond resident who first met Fong 11 years ago.

Fong has lived in the Richmond District for 39 years. He and his wife moved to be closer to her parents, who lived just 10 blocks away on Geary Boulevard. She worked at the VA Medical Center, while their two daughters matriculated through the neighborhood’s schools – Argonne Elementary, Roosevelt Middle and Washington High. Looking back, Fong admits that, although he cannot recall every detail about the neighborhood when they first arrived, he has noticed quite a shift.

“It was a lot more quiet,” he said. Shops have changed hands over the years, but what stands out to him is how much transportation has improved.

“The 1-California, the 38 and all that – especially the 38 express lane – makes things move fast now,” he added. The people, too, have shifted.

“A lot of them move out or die off, you know, a lot of them are senior citizens,” Fong said. “Like, I am a senior citizen.”

When Fong retired from his engineering career, he looked for ways to spend more time in the neighborhood. Three years ago, he began volunteering at the One Richmond office food pantry. His main job is checking participant’s names off when they come in, but he said the work is about much more than lists.

“I’m retired, so I’m more stable than a regular volunteer,” he said. “The regular volunteers, they come and go. But since we are retired, we’re older, we’re more stable.” That stability has helped him turn neighbors into friends. “The other volunteers and the people who come to the food bank, I kind of know them much better. We say hello to each other on the street and all that.”

Ho has seen Fong’s impact and influence in the community firsthand.

“He’s always there early, even on off days. He’s really caring, self-driven,” she said.

She remembered one pantry participant who had just become a grandparent. Fong immediately offered to donate baby items from his home, where he keeps things for his 7-year-old granddaughter.

“He’s a good-hearted person,” Ho said.

Fong’s watchfulness extends beyond the pantry. Around the neighborhood, Fong has earned the unofficial title – “mayor of Clement and Geary.” He insisted it comes from curiosity.

“I see things happening and stop to see what the action is. Then I tell other neighbors, ‘Oh, this is happening over there.’”

The stories he tells reveal a sense of responsibility. If he notices sewage drains overflowing, or a leak running down a street, he calls 311.

“Citizens should do that, rather than let the raw sewage go down the street,” he said.

That kind of attentiveness has also granted him connections with local business owners. At Schubert’s Bakery, Fong bonded with the owner – originally from Germany – by recalling his own Army service stationed there. Elsewhere, he tracks which businesses are changing hands so he can share the news with neighbors.

“Shop local, eat local, live local,” he said, describing his daily routine that takes him through the library, farmers market and shops that line Clement Street.

For Fong, the Richmond is a safe, steady place. He describes it as “good to raise a family,” with parks, museums and the ocean nearby.

“We’ve got good neighbors,” he said. What makes the people stand out, he adds, is their openness. “They don’t look tough, they’re real mellow. They’re easy to talk to. They could be strangers, but they look friendly.”

His advice for anyone new to the neighborhood is straightforward: “Shop around and walk around the neighborhood. You’ll get to know the people really good.”

That sense of responsibility shows up in other parts of his life. He wears pins on his hat that reflect his commitments: voting – “Do your duty.” He donated blood during the AIDS crisis – “People do need blood. If nobody goes the medical place would be in trouble.” During his time in the Army, the goal was always clear: “Do your duty, come home, that’s it.”

Ho described Fong as someone who pays attention in ways that matter.

“(Fong is) a really caring person, self-driven,” she said, “A real honest person (who) will tell you what’s good and what’s bad based on his experience. And his experience is always right. I test it.”

After nearly four decades in the neighborhood, John still sums up his approach in the same way he explains his nickname.

“I’m just too nosy,” he said, with a grin.

To learn about volunteer opportunities with the Richmond Neighborhood Center, go to richmondsf.org/volunteer.