Lisa Truong launched a diaper drive that's distributed more than 66 million diapers across California; Rudy Corpuz Jr. turned his rough past into a peacekeeping mission; and Chris Thoms ran every street in Alameda County to fight hunger.

One night in 2009, Lisa Truong sat on her couch watching The Oprah Winfrey Show while her infant and toddler slept nearby. Oprah posed a question—what can you do to help families in your own community?—and Lisa didn’t just hear it. She answered it.

The next week, over a glass of wine with her friend Rachel Fudge, Lisa came up with an idea that would soon grow into a full-blown nonprofit operation. They decided to organize a Mother’s Day diaper drive. The concept was simple, but radical—help new moms with the one thing no one was talking about: diapers. Within weeks, they had collected 15,000. Within months, they’d uncovered a national policy gap when they learned diapers weren’t covered by WIC or food stamps. And within a few years, they were changing state policy.

Fifteen years later, Lisa’s organization, Help a Mother Out, has distributed more than 66 million diapers across California, developed a first-of-its-kind citywide diaper bank in San Francisco, and helped spark public funding models adopted by other states. But for Lisa, it’s not about the numbers—it’s about the mom who didn’t have to dilute her baby’s bottles to ration diapers. The one who didn’t get arrested for shoplifting diapers, and the one who could finally exhale.

A daughter of Vietnamese immigrants and a longtime nonprofit ops pro who once dreamed of being a documentary filmmaker, Lisa is driven by enduring compassion and a firm belief in community. “We are so interconnected,” she says of the Bay Area. “If we can strengthen our most vulnerable, we make the whole region stronger. It’s about lifting each other up, not just handing out help.”

In 1994, Rudy Corpuz Jr. walked out of prison and into a job at Balboa High School, where he was tasked with helping prevent student violence. A Filipino American raised in San Francisco’s SoMa neighborhood, Corpuz had firsthand experience with the kind of gang activity he was now being asked to address. Instead of dictating change, he asked the students what they needed to stay out of trouble. Their answers—basketball, flag football, talent shows—became the foundation for United Playaz, a youth violence prevention program that continues to grow three decades later.

United Playaz has since expanded across the city and beyond, with a clubhouse in SoMa that serves hundreds of youth each year. Many of its early participants now have children in the program. The group also runs a gun buyback initiative in partnership with the Mayor’s Office, which has collected over 3,000 firearms since 2014.

In 2023, Corpuz opened a SoMa cannabis dispensary through the Stiiizy franchise, with profits earmarked for gun buybacks and family support services. A longtime advocate for legalization, he sees this as another avenue to serve the same community he once harmed.

His transformation—from a self-described “destroyer” to a mentor and community leader—is deeply rooted in a commitment to restorative justice. The quote painted on his dispensary wall sums it up best: “Blessed are the peacemakers.”

Over six years, Alameda resident Chris Thoms completed an incredible challenge: running every street in Alameda County — all 16,218 of them across 20 cities. What began as a personal exploration of his new neighborhood turned into a county-wide mission after he discovered CityStrides, a tracking app that gamifies street completion and helped fuel his obsession.

Starting in February 2019, Thoms ran five to six days a week, averaging 6–10 miles on weekdays and longer runs on Sundays. He expanded his routes to Menlo Park and Kensington, ultimately completing 7,118 miles over 1,087 runs and more than 1,100 hours on foot. He wrapped up his journey with a 37-mile run on May 10, 2025, finishing on Bear Creek Drive in Livermore with his children by his side.

Along the way, he encountered a wide variety of terrain, from suburban streets to rural stretches with cows, dogs, peacocks, and pigs. His quest not only brought personal fulfillment but also served as a fundraiser for the Alameda County Community Food Bank. Thoms pledged 10 cents per street, personally matched 2-to-1, and ultimately helped raise over $5,000 to fight food insecurity in the region.

Currently ranked #25 globally on CityStrides, Thoms sees this project as part of a bigger athletic dream: to one day qualify for the Boston Marathon, inspired by a childhood memory watching runners race past Fenway Park.

Reflecting on his journey, he acknowledged the challenges but emphasized the reward: “During it might be hard, but you don’t regret it at the end.”

Image via Help a Mother Out on Facebook

Previously: Notable Humans: Record-Breaking Bay FC Women’s Soccer Star Empowers Zambian Youth

"Suss" by Bhautik Joshi.

yo dude! I just officialy met you this year
but you've been a pretty
cool dude, ese! ITS
A GOOD THING you DONT
JUDGE People OR eLse U'D THiNK IM a CRack
Head... YeaH... Happy
val'z. Day!

-- THaT
Crazy
BiTCH,
MaRia O.
ese!

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Thursday, popscene brings another great act to San Francisco, The Sessions. Hailing from Vancouver, these guys remind us of the Killers, the Bravery, and These Electric Lives. Friday, BAGeL RADIO presents San Francisco's own indie-rock band, Love is Chemicals. Not only a BAGeL RADIO party, it's also Love is Chemicals' CD release party. You can't go wrong with that combination.

The concert that we 100% recommend: Punch Brothers featuring Chris Thile at The Independent. Chris Thile is a genius. Absolute genius. We were so upset that Nickel Creek called it quits and ended their farewell tour with Fiona Apple. (What a terrible idea!) It looks like he has redeemed himself, though. There will be two shows, one at 7pm and the other at 10pm. Punch Brother's new CD comes out February 26th.

Check the jump for full show listings...

Each Tuesday we will feature new music that should (or whatever) be on your radar.

Don't be fooled by the juvenile hand-writing or Crayola markers on the cover of this album. This is anything but juvenile. Each song Sia creates an emotional journey - sometimes literal, sometimes metaphorically - where she discovers something very important. The life-saving "Little Black Sandals" lets us see her struggle on starting a new life. She sings, "These little black sandals/Are walking me away/These little black sandals/Saved my life today." Sia travels back and forth between hopeful optimism and deep emotional betrayal. The heartfelt pleas in "The Girl" seem a bit shallow until you realize that the song is really called "The Girl [You Lost to Cocaine]." "No I don't need drama, so I'm walking away/Yeah I am a girl with a lot on her plate." Yikes.

In "You Have Been Loved" her lover walks away and she is left behind feeling empty: "Only sadness remains/And it will pass." This album ends up being emotionally-charged without being superficial and meaningless yet somehow it still remains upbeat. If you missed her last show at the Fillmore, it's okay, she's back in February (the 18th to be exact). Get your tickets now; it was nearly sold-out last time.

Download: "Day Too Soon" and "You Have Been Loved"

For more info on other CD releases, take the jump...

One of the greatest misunderstandings in the history of US cinema -- oh please, as far as repeated viewings go, Ordinary People is a superior and more devastating film than Raging Bull -- is the genius of Sophia Coppola's Marie-Antoinette. A fantastic flick, really. It's gorgeous, laced with a few Bay Area inside jokes, oddly nerve-wrecking to watch, and the ending is perfect. Brilliant. In every way.

And, yes, while many would (with much vulgarity) argue we're seeing the film through rose colored glasses, for lack of a better term, we disagree with the zingers written about Coppola's movie upon its release. No, it does NOT look like Paris Hilton made the thing. Strip away your Embarcadero Theatre arrogance and your obsessive need for a plot - we suggest the awesome straight-male campfest that is The Sopranos for decent, plot-heavy entertainment - and see for yourself.

Sophia Coppola's Marie-Antoinette is part of the Cinema Supper Club series at the Legion of Honor.
When: January 10, 2008
Where: Legion of Honor
Time: First dinner seating at 6 p.m.; Marie-Antoinette begins at 8 p.m.
Cost: $20 ($10 members); dinner pricing is separate
For more info: 415-750-7633, famsf.org

-- Unsilent Night: New York-based composer Phil Kline’s holiday concert creates "an outdoor ambient music piece for an infinite number of boomboxes. It’s like a Christmas caroling party except that [you] don’t sing, but rather carry the music, each [member] playing a separate track that is a "voice" in the piece. In effect, we become a city-block-long sound system" So ... there you have it. Tapes and CDs will be handed out to participants. Merry holidays, yo.

Starts tonight at 6:45 p.m. at Dolores Park (at the corner of 18th/Dolores Streets); free.

-- Veronica Klaus' Blue Holiday: Bay Area's own award-winning R&B/cabaret chanteuse joins Josh Klipp, Luke Klipp, and (the melancholically sublime and spot-on) Joshua Bley for an evening of soul and soul-searching tunes.

Starts at 9:30 p.m. at Cafe Du Nord; $16.

-- Can't Stop the Music: Well, this piece of crap film about the Village People almost did. But it has since aged into a fine piece of saccharine entertainment -- "camp," as our forefathers call it -- so be sure to check out this disco-era swan song. Original Village Person Randy Jones makes a special guest appearance/performance. And another added bonus? A young Steve Gutenberg "rollerskating down the streets of New York, dancing to his transistor radio and wearing his corduroy OP shorts." Oh my, indeed. Marc Huestis sure knows how to pick them, doesn't he?

Screens at 7:30 p.m. at the Castro Theatre; $27.50.

We interrupt your holiday frivolity, wild binge drinking, and high stress levels to bring you the following event:

Tomorrow night the annual Homeless Death Memorial March takes place. A Day of the Dead, if you will, for those of us who passed away this year without having a place to call home. You want more info? Here you go:

Please join us to commemorate homeless people—our friends, relatives, neighbors, acquaintances, and even some who none of us got the opportunity to know—this Thursday, December 20, at 5:30 p.m. at Civic Center Plaza. Bring a candle, if you can. If you know of any one who has passed away, please make sure that their name is included in the service by contacting San Francisco Network Ministries at 415.928.6209. [via Street Sheet]

So be sure to dress warm, grab a candle, and head down to Civic Center Plaza at 5:30 p.m. sharp on Thursday night (12/20). There, you will honor many, schmooze with a few strangers with whom you might not socialize under normal circumstances, and maybe hear a surprising story or two about someone you never really knew at all. Aw.