The Power of Community

As 2025 draws to a close, I am reminded of the quiet strength of San Francisco’s older adults and the compassionate community that surrounds and supports them.

At Little Brothers – Friends of the Elderly (LBFE), we witness courage every day: an older adult opening their door after months of isolation, a volunteer showing up week after week, and friendships forming where loneliness once lived. These moments are small, quiet, and profoundly life-changing. In fact, LBFE received a call on Friday, December 12^th, from one of the older adults telling us just that…”We have changed her life”.

This year has brought deep challenges. Rising living costs, reduced social support, and uncertainty around essential programs like SNAP, housing, and transportation have intensified the crisis of isolation for many older adults.

In 2025, your generosity helped make possible:

• 1,648 phone calls to older adults experiencing loneliness
• 542 in-home visits offering companionship and care
• 2,443 visits through our Visiting Volunteer, Stroll Buddies, and Tech Allies programs
• 625 holiday meals and gifts delivered with warmth and dignity
• 900 handwritten cards reminding older adults they are remembered

In a world that can feel increasingly uncertain, community and giving remains a powerful act of hope. When you support LBFE, you are not just funding programs—you are restoring belonging, dignity, and friendship to older adults who might otherwise be alone.

“Before LBFE, the days were long and quiet. Now, I have friends who check in, laugh with me, and remind me I’m still part of something bigger.” LBFE older adult

As you consider your year-end charitable giving, I hope you will consider making a gift to Little Brothers – Friends of the Elderly. Your support ensures that older adults in San Francisco don’t’ feel forgotten—during the holidays and all year long.

That’s the power of community. It’s the warmth of a phone call, the joy of shared laughter, the comfort of knowing someone cares. Every gift to Little Brothers – Friends of the Elderly helps create these connections one visit, one conversation, one friendship at a time or one walk in the park!

This season, your generosity can bring light into the lives of older adults who might otherwise spend the holidays alone.
Because when we come together, no one is left behind.