BREAD PROJECT

Back in 2004, I woke up one morning with the sudden realization that I had not done enough to give back to my community. I have an amazing life and I felt I was falling short in giving back. So I started searching for volunteer opportunities. Soon after, I ran into a friend who was working at a local supermarket in the baked goods section.  She told me about how the store was legally obliged to throw away all unused bread at the end of the day, regardless of it still being fresh. Several carriages of good quality bread were being tossed daily. She asked if I had any ideas. That was the birth of the bread Seva (a word for selfless service).

Every Sunday since then, I (or one of my volunteer crew members) have been delivering good quality Bread and produce (that would have otherwise been thrown away) to homeless shelters.

So many stores throw away good-quality food while many go hungry. We can turn that around. What I've witnessed is that there’s no shortage of supply at this point. There is, however, a shortage of connections. For anyone who has a car and an extra hour or so a week, this is a fun and easy way to make an immediate difference in the lives of many.

I’ve met so many amazing people in the course of making these food donations. One winter Sunday, an older homeless woman known simply as “Lady” invited me to look into one of the two large trash bags that were always by her side. It was like being invited into someone’s living room. She opened the worn plastic twist at the bag's top.   It was filled with scores of yarn, several hats and scarves, and a single pair of old knitting needles. She explained that she was knitting for her homeless brothers and sisters on the street.

We all have power. And it's a joy to use it in serving others.

I’ve written up a how to get started guide which is below. Many across the US, Canada, and Europe are doing this in their communities. I encourage any and all to join in and help one another!

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Here are steps for establishing your own bread (or food) delivery:

Here in Massachusetts, there are several Whole Foods Markets. Each store discards organic left-over bread (still fresh) daily - it either gets picked up for donation or thrown out. On average, some stores will discard one or two full shopping carts of bread each day. The store that Ruth goes to averages five to eight full shopping carts of bread each Sunday morning that needs to be discarded. If no one comes to pick up the bread, the food gets tossed. Normally, churches and other similar organizations are scheduled for bread pick-ups at these stores, but in MA, as well as in other states, there are many Whole Foods Markets that have at least one day each week that’s unaccounted for; no one comes and the bread gets thrown away. Ruth has found that stores tend to toss their bread on Sundays.

  1. Contact any Whole Foods Market near you (or any store that provides baked goods). Go into the store in person if possible and ask to speak to the Bakery manager. Tell them that you’re interested in delivering bread to shelters/food pantries and are wondering if there are any days when the discarded baked goods are not currently being picked up.
    Find out which day of the week is unaccounted for (usually there will be at least one) and how much bread is generally tossed at a time. Let them know you’re in the process of putting the effort together and that you’ll call them soon. Once all details are in place (make sure to get their name and contact info).

  2. Research and locate shelters/food pantries in your area that could benefit from a weekly bread delivery. This is simply a matter of doing a bit of Internet research and making a few phone calls. It’s helpful/efficient to contact managers and especially kitchen managers (if it’s a shelter with a kitchen). Find out what their needs are, and let them know (generally) how much bread you can deliver, from where and on what day/s.

  3. Once you have a store with bread/baked goods and a place to take it to, then it’s simply a matter of coordinating schedules with the managers in both locations.
    For example, Ruth arranged to pick up bread from her local Whole Foods every Sunday by 9am, and arranged with the kitchen manager at a nearby shelter that she’d have the bread delivered by 10am.

Over 3,800 shopping carts of bread have been delivered thus far. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions!