Community Spotlight: Meet the Inspiring Women Behind the Iconic Women’s Building
For this International Womens Day, we want to spotlight the efforts of women in our community who have each other's backs and offer support, featuring The Women's Building in the Mission

For this #InternationalWomensDay, we want to spotlight the efforts of women in our community who have each other’s backs and offer support. Support to find a job or a place to live, to get enough food to feed their families, and to navigate through our social systems. These women live in San Francisco. In the Mission. They are our neighbors.
A few steps away from our Bi-Rite Market on 18th Street, you may have noticed a building with picturesque mural art: he iconic Women’s Building, a visionary San Francisco institution founded in 1971, serves women of all ages and origins who arrive in our city and helps them to navigate and thrive in our community.
The mural art spanned across two sides of the façade is fittingly named “MaestraPeace” (masterpiece), as it was created over 18 years(!) in a collaboration of more than 100 female artists and celebrates the impactful contributions of women worldwide, including inspirational leaders and goddesses.

Diving deeper into the mission of the nonprofit, you’ll find that The Women’s Building is even more fascinating behind its gorgeous façade. The women-led community space advocates self-determination, gender equality, and social justice.
Some of the organization’s services to help women build a better future are:
- Job search and application training
- Computer skills workshops, and printer access
- Legal, tax, and financial assistance
- Housing, job training, health care, and domestic violence resources
- Family reunification services
All these services make The Women’s Building an anchor institution in San Francisco’s Mission District, welcoming 25,000 clients and visitors each year.
As part of our community mission of strengthening community and creating resilience, Bi-Rite is honored to support The Women’s Building through financial support of their food pantry and by providing meals to their dedicated staff for tax prep workshops.
Watch our video to meet some of the women behind the organization and get more insights about the work of the organization.
We hope you’ll feel inspired to volunteer or donate to our long-time community partner organization.