Carrying Light and Care into the New Year
Dear Friends,
As we step into a new year, I find myself holding all of you close in my thoughts and heart. Wherever this message finds you, I hope there are moments—small or spacious—of warmth, beauty, connection, and rest. Moments where you feel seen, nourished, and reminded that you matter.
At Care Through Touch, we are entering this year with a clear intention: to continue showing up with presence, compassion, and steady, tender care—especially where it is needed most. We know that life holds its “10,000 joys and 10,000 sorrows,” and we also know that gentle, human connection can make those sorrows more bearable and those joys more deeply felt.
Each week, our practitioners continue to travel to today’s “Bethlehems”—the Tenderloin, Bayview, Mission, SoMa, and beyond—meeting people where they are. What we witness again and again is that touch is not just physical; it is recognition. It says: You are not invisible; we see you, and you are worthy of care. In these moments, light spreads quietly but powerfully—one person at a time.
As we begin this year, we also want to share honestly that CTI, like many community-based organizations, is navigating real challenges. Reduced funding at both the city and state levels means we are having to be more thoughtful, creative, and resourceful as we sustain our programs and care for the people who rely on us. While this moment asks more of us, it also reminds us how essential our community truly is.
Your support—whether through donations, advocacy, volunteering, or simply sharing our work—has always been what makes our care possible. If you are able to continue supporting CTI in the year ahead, please know that your generosity directly fuels a felt sense of belonging, dignity, and healing for our most vulnerable neighbors. And if support looks different for you right now, your presence and belief in our work always, always matters deeply!
We enter this new year grateful for all that has been, and hopeful for what we will continue to build together. Thank you for being part of our circle of care, for sharing light in your own way, and for walking alongside us.
With deep gratitude and loving wishes for the year ahead,
Mary Ann Finch
Care Through Touch Institute
Our founder, Mary Ann, and longtime massage practitioner and volunteer, Tobi, sharing a moment of connection at one of our long-standing partner sites.