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Neighbors Fight To Keep Evicted Nuns From Moving Soup Kitchen Into SF Condo

SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX 5) -- There's more trouble for a pair of well-meaning nuns whose soup kitchen operation was evicted from the Tenderloin neighborhood in San Francisco.

For the past several years, the Sisters of the Fraternite of Notre Dame from France have run their soup kitchen from San Francisco's Tenderloin District.

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But, the rent drove them out.

After multimillionaire Tony Robbins stepped in to buy them a new spot - a $750,000 condo in the mission, the sisters thought their prayers were answered.

"When we give the food we try to give with love, we try to love them. We try to make the soup kitchen like a family," Sister Marie Bendeicte said.

Residents at 1930 Mission Street are trying to block the nuns from relocating their soup kitchen to the building.

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The lawyer for the homeowners association wouldn't comment for this report.

But he filed a letter with the city's planning department, saying feeding the homeless is wonderful thing, but that the Mission condo "is not the appropriate location."

The letter also says lines for a soup kitchen could hurt future development.

The building already may have issues – with some residents complaining of drug deals going on in broad daylight.

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The nuns believe their presence will help.

The planning commission will have a hearing on the new soup kitchen location in January The nuns will be there, hoping to change the resident's hearts and minds.  "I will ask them to be compassionate," Sister Marie said. "I know it's not so easy to live when you have a lot of encampment on the street, but we need to work together to help those."

 

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