We're Back — Here's Everything That's Been Happening

Break Bread is back. Free weekly to-go meals have returned every Thursday from 4:00–6:00 PM at East Community Center in Littleton. Meals are always free, always barrier-free — no ID, no paperwork, no questions asked.

And we're more than halfway to our $20,000 matching gift goal, with the deadline extended to June 30th. Every dollar donated is being doubled.

In October 2025, Break Bread made the difficult decision to pause operations to reimagine the future of Break Bread. It wasn't a decision we made lightly. After years of growth — serving 550+ meals weekly, coordinating 200+ volunteers annually, and partnering with 48+ community organizations — we recognized that we needed to step back and build a stronger foundation before moving forward.

What followed was  months of organizational and resource development work, some tough conversations and a renewed vision for how to move forward. 

🧭 Organizational Consulting - We brought in outside expertise to take an honest look at how Break Bread is structured — our governance, our operations, and our long-term sustainability. This work helped us clarify roles, strengthen policies, and put systems in place that will support our staff and board as we grow.

🤝 A Stronger Board of Directors - We developed a formal board recruitment process — complete with role descriptions, an application, and a structured onboarding experience. We've been welcoming new members who bring expertise in finance, legal, community engagement, and operations, and building a governance foundation designed to carry Break Bread forward for the long haul.

💻 New CRM & Volunteer Management System -  We've migrated to a new platform that gives us better tools to communicate with supporters, coordinate volunteers, and track our impact. This means a better experience for donors and volunteers — and more capacity for our staff to focus on fundraising and mission-driven work rather than administrative tasks.

🥦 New Food Sourcing & Procurement Relationships - We've built new relationships with food providers and vendors, negotiating access to quality ingredients at reduced or donated cost. These partnerships directly support our ability to serve freely and without barriers.

♻️ Food Rescue & Cost-Reduction Systems - We've been building out food rescue infrastructure — systems for recovering surplus food from local sources and putting it to work in our meal preparation. Less waste, lower costs, and more meals for our neighbors.

🤲 New Community Partnerships -  We've deepened existing relationships and cultivated new ones across the community. We're especially grateful to St. Andrew's United Methodist Church, whose congregation generously helps prepare our to-go meals, and to St. Andrew's Market, whose Thursday schedule creates a natural community hub where neighbors can grab a free meal and shop local in the same visit. More partnership announcements are coming soon.

🏗️ Kitchen Infrastructure at East Community Center - We've been doing hands-on work at our home base — coordinating with East Community Center leadership, planning equipment, and handling the unglamorous-but-essential logistics that make community meals actually happen. It's been a work in progress, with more than a few steps forward and back, but we're happy to report the momentum has shifted. We are now moving decidedly more forward than backward.

Questions? We'd love to hear from you. Stephanie@break-bread.org

Break Bread is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Littleton, Colorado. Donations are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.