Welcome to St. Francis Community Services
Welcome to St. Francis Community Services
"Caring for the homeless, one person at a time"
Who We Are
St. Francis Community Services is award-winning Tucson-based nonprofit dedicated to meeting the basic needs of our most vulnerable neighbors with compassion and dignity. Since opening our doors in 2015, we’ve become a trusted refuge for individuals and families experiencing homelessness and hardship in the Amphi neighborhood and across the greater Tucson community.
We provide food, cooling, and community support through programs such as our neighborhood food pantry, which distributes thousands of pounds of groceries each month, and our cooling center, during the summer months open five days a week offering shade, hydration, and safety during Tucson’s hottest months.
At the heart of our work is a simple belief: that every person deserves to be seen, cared for, and given the opportunity to rebuild their life. Guided by compassion, respect, and responsibility, we aim not only to meet immediate needs but also to foster belonging and hope.
Our Vision
To follow in the footsteps of St. Francis Community Services by reaching out to our neighbors in need with compassion, respect and kindness to ease their burden, one valued person at a time.
Our Mission
At St. Francis Community Services, our mission is to offer essential services to those in need—providing food, comfort, and care to our underserved, low-income neighbors in Tucson’s Amphi community. From operating a food pantry that supports vulnerable families to maintaining a cooling center for those seeking refuge from extreme heat, we are committed to restoring dignity and building community.
At St. Francis Community Services, we believe that by reaching out to our less fortunate neighbors with compassion, respect, and kindness, we can make a meaningful difference and help make Tucson a more hospitable place to live.
In recognition of these efforts, St. Francis Community Services was honored with Tucson Electric Power’s 2024 Net Zero Award, celebrating our commitment to sustainability, community well-being, and energy efficiency. As Lynne Petersen, Senior Director of TEP’s Customer Experience, noted:
“The work they’re doing to rebuild lives is reflective of a broader understanding of sustainability. Ultimately, that kind of engagement in finding solutions to societal challenges is what will make our community as a whole that much stronger.”
St. Francis Community Services has also been recognized nationally for its leadership and innovation in nonprofit service. In 2022, our organization was a finalist for the prestigious Invest in Others Catalyst Award, which honors individuals who serve as catalysts for positive change within their communities.
This national award celebrates organizations and leaders who demonstrate entrepreneurial vision, sustained commitment, and strategic innovation—helping to revitalize programs and launch new initiatives that materially strengthen a nonprofit’s mission and impact.
The selection criteria—leadership, dedication, contribution, inspiration, and community impact—reflect the very principles that guide our daily work at St. Francis Community Services: serving others with heart, building community, and inspiring lasting change.
Help us Help Others and Continue to Strengthen Our Mission
Two Ways You Can Help Now:
As the Season of Thanks Begins
Dear Friend of St. Francis Community Services,
As the season to give thanks approaches, we want to express our sincere gratitude to our new donors and to the many long-time supporters who sustain our mission.
We’re excited to share that we plan to move into a nearby, larger facility to better serve those in need across Tucson. This space will allow us to expand operations—offering new services and extending current ones, including our food pantry, clothing distribution, summer cooling center, winter soup service, and community resource referrals.
The mission of St. Francis Community Services is simple and steadfast: to feed, clothe, and serve those in need in the spirit of Saint Francis of Assisi. The need in our community is growing rapidly—we’ve seen the number of neighbors visiting our food pantry double in the last six months. In response, we plan to expand pantry operations from two to four days per week to better address food insecurity.
To make the new facility operational, and cover our capital improvements and increased operating costs there are two ways you can help us Right Now
To launch our expanded operations with minimal disruption to services, we’re asking you to consider making your Arizona Charitable Tax Credit gift now to help us raise $75,000 for capital and build-out costs.
Dollar-for-dollar AZ tax credit when filing for 2025: up to $987 for couples filing jointly or $495 for single/head-of-household filers.
This credit is separate from credits for public/private schools and Qualified Foster Care organizations—you may participate in all if you wish.
Use “St. Francis Shelter” and QCO code 22077 on AZ Tax Form 321.
You may give by check, donate through Zeffy, Zelle, or contribute via PayPal. For questions about the Arizona Tax Credit, please contact Anne Hendricks at 520-237-2200.
Additionally, the old fashion way is to send us a check!
St. Francis Community Services
P.O. Box 65752
Tucson, AZ 85728
Click the "Donate with Zeffy" button to give through Zeffy or scan the QR Code below:
Click the "Donate with PayPal" button or scan the QR code to give through PayPal:
With warmest thanks,
Chuck Dunn
Executive Director, St. Francis Community Services
St. Francis Shelter Community Wins TEP's Net Zero Hero Sustainable Partner Award
Thank you to the Catholic Foundation!
A great photo of Amy, one of our board members, and Bishop Emeritus of Tucson Gerald Kicanas.
Fr. Gregory Boyle, SJ Speaks at St. Francis Community Services Fundraiser
"We stand with the poor and the powerless and the voiceless … we stand with those whose dignity has been denied and those whose burdens are more than they can bear … we stand with the easily despised and the readily left out…we stand with the demonized and the disposable.”
- Fr. Gregory Boyle, SJ
A Big Day for Gerhard!
Celebrating an Exciting New Home for one of our Residents!
From Gerhard:
"Happy, happy, joy, joy!"
From Shawn, our Director of Operations:
"Excited for Gerhard our long-time resident and friend on moving out of St. Francis Shelter Community and into the brand new Milago on Oracle. Gerhard volunteers at the food shelter, so come on by and say hello!
Thank you Tucson Family Volunteers!
Our youngest volunteers to date! A huge thanks to Tucson Family Volunteers for bringing and bagging dog food and rice! Tucson Family Volunteers cultivates the desire to volunteer in young adults. It was great to have them with us on Pantry day to see the good their donation of dog food and rice, bagged for our pantry patrons who need pet food (and rice for them). They bagged over 100 bags of dog food and 50 bags of rice!! Maybe one day we'll see them as adults offering to volunteer for one of our many volunteer opportunities.
Our Longtime Director of Operations Shawn Milligan in the News
"Soup Patrol Brings a Free Warm Meal and Essentials to the North Tucson Community"
It is you, Our volunteers, that Make Our Mission Possible!
Celebrating our Volunteers at our Volunteer Appreciation Party
A Special Thanks to Jim & Vicki Click, The Timothy J. & Rhanda K. Dunn Foundation, and Terry & Peggy DeWald
Many thanks to our generous donors who helped us purchase a much-needed truck to fulfill our mission to help the less fortunate in our community.
Charles R. Dunn, Executive Director
Special delivery day for our new truck: Thank you Jim and Vicki Click!
A Big Thanks to Zanes Law!
What We Believe In
Great photo of Gerhard, Blue, and Zach our youngest board member!
Get Involved with St. Francis Shelter
Get Involved
Are you passionate about helping others? We are always looking for volunteers to help us make our vision a reality. We'll help you find a way to volunteer that best suits you. We're excited to have you join the team! Email us at volunteer@stfrancisshelteraz.com or call 520-461-4943 to volunteer!
Thank You
Whether you support us through monetary donations, volunteering your time, or spreading our mission through word-of-mouth, we greatly appreciate your time and kindness.
St. Francis Shelter Thanks You!