Anna Cornelius: A Better Opportunity for Her and Her Daughters

Anna Cornelius will admit that when she first entered through our doors she was stressed, scared and embarrassed.

What she didn’t know at the time, though, was that she had entered the judgment-free zone. We were happy to welcome her then—and are always happy to see her now. 

When we first met Anna, a single mother with two joy-filled teenage daughters, she was experiencing—as we all do—a tough moment in her life. Her mother had passed away, and she was renting a car monthly to take her daughter to the Bay Area for blood transfusions for her sickle cell and cardiovascular disease. “It was tough. We were just trying to get by. We were tight on food, money and hope.” 

Anna says her perspective on asking for help changed on that first day we met her. Today, she passes the lessons of dignity, love and kindness on in her own work serving the homeless community. “I tell the people I work with that in Sacramento, because of organizations like SFBFS, there are opportunities to make your life better.” 

The experience has also been a lesson in resourcefulness and generosity for her daughters, who are the first in line to help another person. “They are amazing—they take things they do not need and go to the shelter to share them with others,” Anna says. “They give back to the community that has given much to them. It is beautiful to watch it all unfold.”