LifeMoves

In the midst of the Great Depression, Palo Alto resident Mable Glover couldn't ignore a simple contradiction: restaurants were throwing away food while people in her community were going hungry.

Her response became known as Hotel de Zink.

What followed was nearly a century of compassion in action. Volunteers, faith communities, and neighbors came together to provide meals, shelter, dignity, and support to thousands of people experiencing hardship. Different traditions, united by one belief: no one should be invisible.

That spirit of collective care is the true legacy of Hotel de Zink.

While the program has now sunsetted, its impact lives on through the people it served, the community it inspired, and the commitment to helping neighbors find stability and a place to call home.

We're grateful to the countless volunteers, congregations, partners, donors, and staff who carried this work forward for generations. What they built wasn't just a program; it was a community choosing to show up for one another, year after year.

Lynnelle Bilsey shares more about this remarkable history here: https://na2.hubs.ly/H05YZzh0