This is our 15th podiatry outreach of the Order of Malta Clinic of Northern California since October of 2024.  Since then we have provided podiatry care to over 300 patients that live on the streets, on their feet.  Our care extends beyond podiatric medical attention, but also includes the warmth of a conversation, a new pair of socks and a pair of gently-worn shoes. Members of the Order of Malta in Oakland and San Francisco provide organizational and hands-on services, with our volunteer physicians and medical assistants doing everything from trimming nails, treating infections, smoothing calluses and treating minor sprains, to diagnosing more serious ailments related to diabetes.

"Volunteering with the Order of Malta Podiatry Outreach has been a profound experience of encountering Christ through service to the sick and vulnerable. In a healthcare system that often creates distance between the healthy and the suffering, this ministry restores human dignity through simple acts of care.

My role is to remove shoes and socks, wash and massage the feet of our often displaced guests, and prepare them to see the volunteer podiatrist. These moments become far more than physical care. We speak about life, suffering, hope, and faith — often without words — through our hands, our eyes, and our shared humanity. Each encounter is deeply personal and unique.

This experience has taught me to complain less, judge less, and trust more fully in God’s will. Serving others reveals another side of oneself. It opens the heart, and for me, it is truly a blessing to accompany our guests in this deeply human way." - Evelyne McInerney

The Order of Malta Podiatry Outreach has been serving on average 20-25 patient visits each time we visit St Vincent de Paul.  It was our goal to increase that number to more than 30.  We are happy to report that 33 patients received medical treatment on May 27.
"The work we do at the Podiatry Clinic just feels so impactful.  Cleaning and massaging someone's feet is very personal and intimate (more than one guest has noted their feet have never been touched before), and I think that makes the guests feel very seen and respected, in a way they may not often be.  One older woman enjoyed the massage as much, she noted that her boyfriend was going to question why she had such a big smile (and I asked whether he was the jealous kind)." - Jason Throne