191 Golden Gate Avenue (at Leavenworth Street)
San Francisco, CA 94102

Directed by Catalina Gonzalez-Hill & Cory Calandra-Devereaux and assisted by Marta Ayala
Funded by City & County of San Francisco Community Challenge Grant Program & San Francisco Clean City Coalition.
Special thanks to Tenderloin Community Benefit District, Tenderloin Health, Precita Eyes Volunteers, San Francisco Arts Commission and the entire Tenderloin Community.

"The Gift You Take is Equal to the Gift You Make" celebrates the gifts that the community brings and receives in the Tenderloin neighborhood including diversity, varied backgrounds, and rich cultural heritages and experiences. The "SS New Tenderloin" breaches the turbulent ocean and arrives from distant lands, bringing the various people who will make the neighborhood their home. As the children leave the ship, they join others, and grab the rope (a common Tenderloin practice) to traverse the streets. They head for "National Family Night Out", a scene of fun, art and entertainment for all. As they cross the space, they approach neighborhood landmarks such as the Hibernia Bank, and the Cadillac Hotel with its portrait of community leaders, Kathy and Leroy Looper.

At National Family Night Out in the Tenderloin, children's art is everywhere, and its spirit carries over to the classroom. In the school room our heroes, the teachers encourage and guide children of all ethnicities. In the background, the roses signify the color and added life that will come by adding more gardens and greenery to the neighborhood. The Black Hawk Jazz Club is a tribute to the past and the musicians are a nod to the current efforts to revitalize the music and art in the neighborhood.

The mural also honors the gifts that the community receives, and shows the residents, workers and activists breaking the chains of containment to demonstrate for the needs of the neighborhood. In this Tenderloin, there are health services, affordable housing (such as the Essex Hotel), work opportunities, a clean and safe environment, interactions among neighbors, services offered to all, and "Community not Containment". All of these gifts become available as the sun shines in the Tenderloin.

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