Who We Are
Every year since 1991, a community of over 1,000 volunteers help us reach out to nearly 500 isolated older adults in San Francisco in the spirit of friendship. In the last few years, as a global pandemic transformed our daily lives and national unrest surged, LBFE has pivoted, adapted, and innovated to meet the ever-changing and diverse needs of our community - and we will continue to do so each year not only to improve the physical and mental health of the older adults we serve, but to also bring countless moments of joy and the feeling of being valued and appreciated.
Our history.
Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly was inspired by the life and compassion of Armand Marquiset, a French nobleman born in 1900. Though his early life was privileged, Marquiset was deeply moved by the poverty he encountered after World War I. These experiences shaped a lifelong commitment to helping those in need.
In the 1930s, he launched several humanitarian efforts in France, including support for the homeless, unemployed artists, and underprivileged children. In 1939, he envisioned a global movement of “Little Brothers” spreading “fires of love” across the world—but World War II shifted his focus to urgent relief work for displaced children and refugees.
After the war, Marquiset returned to his vision, founding Les Petits Frères des Pauvres (Little Brothers of the Poor) to support the elderly suffering from poverty and isolation. He offered not just food, but beauty and dignity—summed up in his motto: “Flowers before bread.”
His example drew countless volunteers and donors, and the movement grew across France and beyond. In the 1960s and ’70s, he went on to create other organizations to fight poverty worldwide.
Marquiset passed away in 1981, but his legacy lives on.
Today, Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly operates in ten countries and five U.S. cities—offering friendship and support to older adults who might otherwise face aging alone. While we are no longer religiously affiliated, we remain grounded in Marquiset’s vision of human connection, dignity, and love.
For more on our international network, visit: www.littlebrothers.org