Celebrating Our 21st Anniversary
1987 – 2008
Zen Hospice Project (ZHP) provides a spectrum of collaborative services in end-of-life care, including residential hospice care, volunteer caregiver support, and public education events.
In 2007...
152 Hospice residents received practical, emotional, and spiritual support as they faced death from cancer, AIDS, and other illnesses.
571 Family members and friends received emotional and spiritual support as they said good bye to their loved ones.
162 Men and women volunteered at Zen Hospice Project in a variety of capacities: being at the bedside of the dying, working in our offices, cooking and playing music at special events, and offering healing arts therapies
19,280 Hours of compassionate care were given to hospice residents and family members by Zen Hospice Volunteer Caregivers
14 New volunteers joined our community at the spring training to become Volunteer Caregivers
13 Education sessions were provided to our Volunteer Caregivers to support their capacity to serve skillfully at the bedside of the dying, including 30+ hours of advanced training in bereavement care to families
1,250 Men and women from the general public received education from Zen Hospice Project about death, bereavement, and end-of-life care
175 Men and women from the general public attended daylong workshops at Zen Hospice related to death, bereavement, and end-of-life care
382 Enthusiastic supporters and visionaries attended our annual dinner, One Night One Heart
Over 20 Years
2,952 Residents received hospice care
1,415 Volunteer caregivers served at the bedside
6,430 Family members received care
283 Special Skill volunteers provided extra services
17,200 People attended lectures, workshops, and retreats to raise awareness and build skills in end of life care
The “Zen” part of our name reflects our approach of bringing mindfulness and compassion to our programs. Through meditation practice and simple Buddhist teachings, we support people’s capacity to be present and open to whatever is happening in the moment. We also explore our own relationship to death and dying. Of course, these qualities of mindfulness, compassion, and reflection are not exclusive to Buddhist practice; Buddhist practice simply forms the basis of our approach.
Each year over 100 Zen Hospice volunteers provide an estimated 20,000 hours of practical, emotional, and spiritual support to more than 150 individuals and their families as they face death from cancer, AIDS, and other illnesses. Since 1987, ZHP has served thousands and affected the care of thousands more through professional trainings, community workshops, and other educational efforts.
Zen Hospice Project is happy to share our work and inspiration with others. Visitors are welcome to attend alternating Friday receptions at Laguna Honda Hospice. Please contact our office at 415.863.2910 to make arrangements at least several weeks in advance.
Our Mission
- To establish and maintain a program of hospice services, which will collaborate with public and private community organizations in the Bay Area, to mindfully and compassionately serve people approaching death.
- To train and support volunteers to assist people facing life threatening illness, and their family and friends, in a manner which best meets what they understand to be their physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.
- To establish and maintain a residential hospice in San Francisco to provide appropriate services for people in the final days of their lives.
- To provide educational programs with a foundation in Buddhist teachings that foster awareness and compassion in facing death, and whose influence can be felt both locally and globally.
Our History
Zen Hospice was founded in 1987 as a program of the San Francisco Zen Center. Social upheaval and times of personal crises provide opportunity for great compassion. The birth of ZHP coincided with the first decade of AIDS, an epidemic of the disenfranchised and dispossessed. ZHP volunteers found that caring for people with AIDS or cancer was, in itself, a kind of spiritual practice.
Initially, we brought our services to indigent cancer patients living in the streets or in small residential hotels. In 1988, we began working in partnership with Laguna Honda Hospital to offer hospice services in an institutional setting. We began caring for people at our residential Guest House in 1990.
Zen Hospice Project became an independent non-profit 501-C3 corporation in 1992. The organization is guided by a community-based Board of Directors and managed by a staff of eight.
How Can You Make a Difference?
There are many ways to help.
Zen Hospice Project is committed to maintaining the heart of compassionate service. In this way, we are aware not just of what we give to others, but also what we receive from them in return.
As a Volunteer Caregiver or Special Skills Volunteer , you can contribute to making the lives of the dying a mindful and loving experience.
By making a donation, you can ensure that our hospice services, volunteer program, and public education events continue to provide a model of excellence and integrity about how to live with death. Zen Hospice honors the commitment of individuals who designate ZHP in their will, living trust, life insurance policy, or other estate planning vehicle by including these donors in our Circle of Life.
By attending one of our events or purchasing our audio series, you will enrich your understanding of the spiritual aspects of dying.
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