S4E9, Part 2: Maitri's Tomas Moreno and Rusty Smith

In this podcast, we pick up where we left off in Part 1. After college out east, Modesto's Tomas Moreno moved to the Bay Area. His mom is a recently retired high school teacher who taught kids with disabilities, and Tomas feels that her work instilled in him a drive to serve others. That eventually led him to Maitri. Tomas is joined by Maitri Executive Director, Rev. Fr. Rusty Smith, to share with us the history of the nonprofit, which was founded by Issan Dorsey in the Castro in 1987. Rusty tells us how he came to work at Maitri, explaining how a big part of its mission is to serve those with HIV/AIDS who also suffer from poverty. Rusty and Tomas talk about how Maitri has fared over the past year of the pandemic. Stories include non-volunteers like these two stepping up to facilitate and play bingo with the residents. We end this episode with Rusty and Tomas's hopes for San Francisco as it emerges from the pandemic. We recorded this podcast at Maitri Compassionate Care in April 2021. Photography by Michelle Kilfeather