40 Years of Healing, Dignity & Human Connection
Rooted in Compassion Since 1983
Care Through Touch Institute was founded in 1983 at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, where students were introduced to holistic healing that honored the human body as essential to care.
In the early years, CTI provided massage to people living and dying with HIV/AIDS during a time of profound fear and stigma.
In 1993, CTI relocated to San Francisco’s Tenderloin, expanding its focus to serve people experiencing homelessness, poverty, chronic illness, and aging.
What began as a training-centered program evolved into a service-driven nonprofit. Today, CTI is a collective of trained practitioners providing free, trauma-informed chair massage across San Francisco—offering steady, compassionate presence for more than four decades.
our founder
Mary Ann Finch founded Care Through Touch Institute in 1983, emerging from her work serving individuals affected by HIV/AIDS during a time of profound fear and stigma. Her background in education, spirituality, movement therapy, and massage shaped a model of care that honors the whole person.
A formative sabbatical in Calcutta, where she practiced hospice care alongside Mother Teresa, deepened her commitment to serving those most marginalized.
In 1993, she formally established Care Through Touch Institute and later brought its work to San Francisco’s Tenderloin, designing trauma-informed massage programs for people impacted by poverty, illness, aging, and homelessness. For more than 40 years, CTI has grown alongside the community—offering compassionate presence that addresses physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.
Caring in the Margins
Caring in the Margins tells the story of CTI’s journey—from a small interfaith nonprofit in the 1980s to a trusted community partner embedded in San Francisco’s most underserved neighborhoods.
Through stories and photographs, the book captures CTI’s mission: to bring healing touch to those pushed to the edges of society and to affirm dignity where it is most often denied.
a labor of love.
Created over nearly five years by Jane Ebaugh, a CTI graduate, and fine art photographer John Verner, Caring in the Margins documents the spirit of San Francisco’s Tenderloin and Mission neighborhoods. Through deep relationship-building, they captured not just images—but stories of resilience, dignity, and community.
As they shared, the book was “a labor of love and a joy to create.”
Purchase the Book
Caring in the Margins is available directly through CTI:
$25 – 1 copy
$45 – 2 copies
$60 – 3 copies
$75 – 4 copies (3 + 1 free)
Proceeds support CTI’s ongoing mission to provide free trauma-informed care.
