[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 15]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 20988]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      HONORING BARBARA JEAN BROWN

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. NANCY PELOSI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 21, 2005

  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor an 
extraordinary woman who dedicated her life to the service of San 
Francisco's most needy individuals. Barbara Jean Brown, known to those 
who loved her as ``Mother Brown,'' passed away on August 9 after a 
year-long struggle with leukemia.
  Mother Brown distinguished herself through her generous and untiring 
efforts feeding the poor and homeless of our city through Mother 
Brown's Dining Room. By offering a haven to countless individuals for 
more than 20 years, her spirit and kindness touched all those to whom 
she tended. I offer my deepest sympathy to her sons, Frederick and 
Jaamel; her brother, Arthur; and her sisters, Alice, Fanny, and Dennie 
Marie.
  Mother Brown served San Francisco with dignity and love. The 
beginning of her public ministry consisted of parking an old, oversized 
Cadillac and serving hot meals out of her trunk that she had cooked in 
her own kitchen. Sharon Williams, the operations manager of Mother 
Brown's Dining Hall, said of her colleague, ``She knew there was a 
need. She believed no one should ever go to bed hungry.'' Mother Brown 
never turned anyone away.
  Her work did not go unnoticed. Government agencies, community 
organizations, and private corporations donated funds to allow Mother 
Brown to set up the Bayview Hope Homeless Resource Center and Mother 
Brown's Dining Room in a converted warehouse. With this new facility, 
Mother Brown was able to serve more people with additional resources 
and services. Beyond her work with the Center and Dining Room, she 
threw an annual Christmas party at the Bayview Opera House for those 
without a home during the holidays and donated 1,200 toys to children 
last year alone.
  Barbara Jean Brown was born in Shreveport, LA, and moved to the bay 
area at the age of 5. After marrying, she had three children and lived 
in San Francisco's Bayview district, where she headquartered her 
community efforts. In addition to her life of public service, she 
supported herself through clerical and administrative work, including a 
term working in advertising for San Francisco's major newspapers, the 
Chronicle and the Examiner.
  She began her charity work partnering with her eldest son, J.J. When 
he died at age 34, she invested the little money he left her into what 
would become the Bayview Hope Homeless Resource Center. Every dollar 
she later received from sponsorships and gifts went directly to her 
projects. Mother Brown demonstrated extraordinary generosity and 
selflessness.
  San Francisco was fortunate to have this remarkable woman in our 
midst. Those whom she helped, served, cared for, and inspired will 
sorely miss her. However, her legacy continues as she leaves behind the 
Bayview Hope Homeless Resource Center and Mother Brown's Dining Room to 
carry on the mission she started so long ago.

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