Bread & Roses Inc.

Founded in 1980, our mission is the nourishing of body and soul to thousands most at-risk with dignity and respect. Stable access to food is a critical component of a healthy community. Bread & Roses is more than a soup kitchen - it's the hub of a vibrant community. We strive to meet essential life, health and safety needs of those we serve through evening meals, case management, community food outreach, pantry services and walk-in health services. All in need have access to our services free of charge - regardless their residential, legal or income status. Through our services, we aim to equip the most marginalized in Lawrence with the necessary tools to move from disempowerment to self-sufficiency. Poverty isn't going anywhere anytime soon, especially in Lawrence - and as long as the need continues, we’re committed to fulfill our mission to serve on the frontlines of extreme poverty, meeting the individuals behind the statistics when and where they need help the most - regardless of legal status, religion, income, sobriety or mental health.

We accomplish our mission - nourishing of body and soul to thousands most at-risk with dignity and respect - through four primary programs: Evening Meals, Emergency Pantry Services, Health Services, and Community Outreach. Our Evening Meals provide warm, nutritious three-course dinners to 120-200 individuals and families five nights per week. All in need are welcome, and there is no charge for the meal. In addition, each guest receives supplemental food items to take home. We also have an emergency pantry stocked with food and other life essentials, like toiletries, blankets, warm clothing, infant supplies, and other necessary products. Although referrals are preferred, no one is turned away from access to our pantry. For those in need of food, we provide each household member 3 days of food, including protein, fresh produce and frozen meals cooked in-house. Other life essentials are prepared and provided upon request. Additionally, we also provide health services in our private medical office on a weekly, walk-in basis. A doctor and two nurses from Greater Lawrence Family Health Center treat over 500 guests a year. For a majority of our guests, these visits comprise their sole access to medical attention. Finally, our Community Outreach program consists of delivering an average of two tons of hot, protein-rich meals in biodegradable packaging each month to over 35 partnering agencies serving the most marginalized of Lawrence. We’ve significantly expanded our roster of donation partners and increased our capacity to accept and distribute large scale food donations by becoming members of the Greater Boston Food Bank and creating new relationships with vendors and restaurants across the Merrimack Valley.

Bread & Roses is driven by and for the community - a collaborative network of guests, volunteers, staff, and supporters. The core group of supporters from our beginnings remain active. We’re passion heavy and administratively light - the successful leveraging of goods and services saving thousands of dollars yearly. Our 250+ volunteers logged over 19,200 hours in FY19 alone. Staff has expanded by 30% in FY19, and is comprised of four full-time and eight part-time employees. Since we do not receive Federal or State funding, we rely on the generosity of our network of dedicated volunteers and community partners to keep our mission thriving; less than $9,000 is spent on food annually. We also partner with more than 30 agencies, including the Merrimack Valley and Greater Boston Food Banks, Neighbors in Need, House of Mercy, Lazarus House Ministries, Vinfen, the YWCA and the Greater Lawrence Family Health Center - in addition to a steady influx of food and supplies from businesses, community groups and wholesalers across the Merrimack Valley. Finally, we recently expanded our staff to meet increased demands for our services, especially in the aftermath of the 2018 gas fires. Working together with our volunteers, community partners, and staff, we are capable of providing essential life services to the people of Lawrence and effectively combating hunger in our community.

Bread & Roses has achieved nearly four decades of fighting hunger with effective, grassroots programs and the active fostering of an extensive supportive network. We’re experiencing unprecedented growth. In FY19, we provided assistance to over 13,000 individuals with food, life, health, and safety supports, and 145,325 pounds of food went to those in need. We made more than 76,000 meals possible: 20,966 served in our dining rooms, 19,606 as take-home meals, 5,844 as pantry orders and 30,386 delivered into the community through outreach. This is an overall 53% expansion of program reach from the previous year. In this expanding realization of our mission, we’re approaching maximum capacity - especially our Community Food Outreach program - which has grown by more than 300% since 2017. Our goal for FY20 is to increase our overall program reach by 30%, directly impacting over 18,000 individuals and their families.

We are also continuing to expand our partnerships with community organizations. In October 2019, we began collaborating with MSCPA-Nevins Farm, who is providing weekly donations of dog and cat food to Bread & Roses. This collaboration equips Bread & Roses to provide food for all family members who come in our doors, human and animal. In FY20, we are also launching a new program - called the Fresh Start Initiative - to provide access to laundry services by providing prepaid laundry cards for our guests . The most vulnerable are left without the means to keep their clothes and/or bedding clean and dry, a critical factor in staying healthy, functional and alive during winter months. The Fresh Start Initiative strives to provide this critical service. Ownership of laundry cards empowers participants to choose how they use the service - for example, to dry a blanket soaked by a late-night rain shower. Clean clothes go a long way to promote confidence. Combined with toiletries we also provide, an important step towards transition to a normal life is taken. Finally, we are also expanding partnerships with local colleges to address food insecurity in college students. A 2018 study found 36% of college students are experiencing hunger and lack stable housing. We are currently distributing monthly food donations to New England Community College, and will continue seeking innovative ways and new partnerships to support students in our community.