Eleven years ago, Steve, a friend from church, asked if I would cover his bread run while he was on vacation. Could I pick up leftover bread from Panera—they don’t use preservatives and would throw it out otherwise—and take it to the soup kitchen where he volunteered? No problem. The bread run took less than an hour.
A few weeks later, I found out Steve had passed away. Who will do the bread run? I added it to my weekly routine, going to Panera bright and early every Saturday. Then on to the soup kitchen and, when there was enough bread, to the men’s group home.
One week, I mentioned to a friend at church, “There’s so much leftover bread, I don’t know what to do with it all!” “What bread?” she asked. No one knew what Steve had been doing. Through our pastors, I found more places that could use the bread: senior housing, a boys’ home, a family resource center, our church’s monthly service for the disabled and their caregivers.
Other volunteers have since joined the bread brigade. One of them is Steve’s widow, Claudia. We’re proud to carry on his work—sharing our daily bread.
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