MISSION STATEMENT:

The Bread Basket is dedicated to meeting the needs of less fortunate families and individuals of Pierce county by providing food, clothing, and other resources throughout the year.

NOT "JUST" ANOTHER FOOD BANK!

READ MATTHEW 25:31-40

The Bread Basket is fulfilling Matthew 25:31-40 and we're pretty proud of it. We take the bible literally and we are doing our part helping our fellow human beings who are in need.We help low-income disabled persons, domestic violence victims, military families, senior citizens, and welfare-to-work in Pierce county with food, clothing, and other resources.

The Bread Basket is providing a valuable social service to the secular world. Being faith-based we are inspired by our beliefs in Jesus and we desire to meet His expectation that we meet the material needs of others regardless of their religious beliefs (or non belief).

The Bread Basket is a non-denominational organization (or more accurately a cross or inter-denominational organization) and does not "belong" to any one church or specific denomination. We prefer to build bridges and not walls. We encourage all churches to get involved and help us to help the needy. We also encourage individuals, families, and businesses to support us as well. Thank you!

The Bread Basket is run by volunteers who are committed to showing compassion to those in need.We are making an impact and a difference in our community- one life at a time.

One of the most exciting facts about the Bread Basket is that we deliver! In this day of pizza delivery,parcel delivery, grocery delivery, and etc. it is easy for one to take for granted the importance of "delivering" food baskets. Almost all food banks require the needy to come to them or they can not serve them. Traditional food banks are simply not set up to go out and deliver food 5 days a week. In fact almost half of our deliveries have been referred by another food bank because they do not deliver.

Our invaluable contribution to our community is that we serve the un/under served. There are many seniors and disabled persons who do not have friends, family, or reprentatives to either take them in or go for them. These needy people quite often go without for several days each and every month until their monthly income check comes. That is why the Bread Basket MUST and WILL continue to provide this vital community service to them free of charge!

Why support the Bread Basket? Because the Bread Basket supports people! The Bread Basket refuses to allow our seniors and disabled to go hungry simply because they lack the resources or ability to have their food baskets picked up. The Bread Basket procures food, clothing, and other resources and delivers to these disadvantaged Americans without charge. We need your assistance in continuing to be able to deliver to them. The heart of our program is our mobile food bank service.

SUPPORTING THE BREAD BASKET IS SUPPORTING YOUR COMMUNITY!
PLEASE CAREFULLY CONSIDER MAKING A MEANINGFUL FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION TO THE BREAD BASKET TODAY.

WHO WE HELP

We are feeding and clothing the needy all throughout the year. Bread Basket also has seasonal events. Here is a breakdown of our programs and who they effect.

CHILDREN:
Back-to-school supplies for low-income children (August)
Winter coats for low-income children (throughout the winter)
Grandparent's Day- combination of seniors and youth (September)
Delivering cards and gifts to children confined to the hospital for the holidays (December).

LOW-INCOME:
Food and clothing for disabled, domestic violence victims, homeless, military families, senior citizens, and welfare-to-work families and individuals. Holiday food baskets (Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas) Toys at Christmas Teddies, toys, and books for children of domestic violence Occassional special needs assistance.

SENIORS: Older American's Month (May) Grandparent's Day- Youth delivers flowers and cards to seniors in nursing homes. (September) Visits to nursing homes, group homes, and adult family homes (year round). HOMELESS: Blankets and coats throughout the winter Clothing throughout the year Feeding programs.

NEED OUR HELP?
Primarily the Bread Basket provides food, clothing, and basic needs assistance. However, there are many other areas we are able to help on a case by case basis. Just give us a call and if we don't do it, chances are we know someone who does.

If you need food or clothing: Bread Basket is located at: 3617 Bridgeportway West Suite "R" Unversity Place WA. We're easy to find. We're next door to the UP Library and we face the police department and fire station. If you need directions just call us at (253) 565-3271

Current Hours:
During the holiday season we are closed to walk-ins. All assistance is by prior appointment only. Clothing Bank- By prior appointment only. Food Bank- By prior appointment only.

If you are a Worksource or a Project Get referal we want to do everything we can to assist you in your career goals. If your schedule does not work with the hours we are open, please call us to schedule a more convenient time (please note we are not available for weekend appointments or late night appointments.

Also our number one priority is delivering food to the homebound, please keep in mind when we are not in the Bread basket we're generally out procuring or delivering food). This is why you must have a prior appointment. If you are not referred to us by one of the above agencies you will have to come in to our food bank during normal business hours.

At this time we are out of rental and utility assistance.

When you arrive you will need the following items for our records:

Picture Identification for all in your household who are 18 years or older (whether or not they are your dependant.)
Social security card for everyone you are including in your household total
Proof of residence
Proof of Income for everyone 18 and older (If anyone 18+ is unemployed please have them write a statement to attest that and have them to sign it.)
Proof of all dependants you are claiming (i.e. custody papers, school records, medical cards, etc. Please note we do not accept social security cards for proof of custody.) If you can not find every item we require, please call ahead so we can assist you.

HOME DELIVERY PROGRAM:
Our delivery program is solely for those who need delivery because their age or disability prevents them from getting food from traditional food banks. We do not have the resources to deliver to any other scenario. Unfortunately there have been abusers of this program and therefore we are no longer able to deliver with the assumption that everyone is innocent until proven guilty.

Everytime we drive to a home where a person is able to care for themself we take away resources from those who are not able to. To avoid that we must require you to prove your eligibility BEFORE we deliver. This may be done by fax, mail, or if you can get someone to personally deliver your information and we will get you set up as a home delivery client. You will need to provide the above proof like walk-in clients and in addition to that you must provide us with a copy of a doctor's statement that specifies the disability and it's duration.

Please note not all disabilities meet our requirements. Your condition must be a mental or physical condition that prevents you from leaving your home to get food when you have none. We do not deliver simply because you do not have a car or because you receive a disability check for a condition that still allows you your mobility. If you are a senior citizen (with or without a disability) you're easy, simply get us a copy of your identification to prove your age and also the above information to prove you are eligible for our program overall.

If you are new please allow up to five working days for us to return your call for home delivery. If you are a current home delivery client simply leave your name and phone number and we will call you back within 24 business hours to deliver your food (maximum 48 hours from call placement to delivery). We no longer deliver clothing for many reasons. However, if you are a delivery client who needs dishes, toiletries, etc. please let us know and we will help you as best as we can.

Bread Basket volunteers are are screened through the Washington State Patrol. If you have any questions feel free to call us.

If you are in the University Place area and need food on a day that we are closed you may call:

University Place Presbyterian Church
St. Charles Borromeo
St. Andrews
St. Leo's Food Connection
Salvation Army

If you need other referals call the United Way's helpline at 572-4357 or call the Emergency food Network at 584-1040 and ask them about other food banks in your area.

NEWS AND EVENTS

BREAD BASKET would like to thank the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe for their support this year. In our present economy many families and individuals have had to turn to food banks for the first time in their lives. The need for assistance has gone up tremendously while support has not. We hate to have to turn anyone away because we lack the resources. Summertime is always the worst as people take vacations and contributions taper off. This year the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe donated $5,000.00 to help us feed the hungry during the summer months of 2011! We are so grateful for their generosity. June 2011





News and Events & Holiday Hope 2005 Information


Bread Basket would like to thank the United States Post Office Processing and Distribution Center in Seattle Washington for helping us in our efforts to help those who were survivors of the hurricane Katrina as well as the needy here in Pierce County.

The post office held a food and clothing drive, which Bread Basket was the recipient of approximately ten pallets of clothing. This was the efforts of 1800 employees at that location. Thank you Ron Adkins for coordinating this awesome effort and thank you to all of your crew for the support.

BREAD BASKET receives $2155.71 grant from the Fred Meyer Foundation.

Bread Basket received a community grant totaling over $2100.00 from the Fred Meyer Foundation for it’s food bank.

“The Fred Meyer Foundation was particularly impressed by the successful track record of the Bread Basket and its programs,” Mary Loftin, vice president of public affairs for Fred Meyer and executive director of the Fred Meyer Foundation, said. “We hope this community grant will help the Bread Basket continue the important work it is doing to enrich the health of the community. We are proud to be a part of the University Place community and are committed to helping where we can. Social responsibility and community involvement are company priorities established by our founder, Fred G. Meyer. Mr. Meyer said, “To be a good neighbor, you must strive to be a good neighbor in all ways.”

Financial support of nonprofit organizations is just one of the ways Fred Meyer upholds this tradition. The Foundation’s community grant program is driven by 29 local Advisory Committees made up of local Fred Meyer employees who research nonprofit organizations in their communities and then award community grants.

“These grants are the result of true community efforts involving both our employees through our annual employee giving campaign and our customers through the contributions they make in our stores using the Make Change Count coin boxes and scan cards at the check stands. The dollars collected through these employee and store efforts are combined and then allocated by the Advisory Committees as community grants in the four western states where we have stores,” Loftin said.

The Fred Meyer Foundation assists nonprofit organizations dedicated to helping children and reducing hunger in communities served by 129 Fred Meyer stores in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. Fred Meyer is a division of the Kroger Co., which is one of the nation’s largest food retailers. The Fred Meyer Foundation has awarded grants totaling approximately $4.5 Million since it began in December 1998. For more information call 1-800-858-9202, ext. 5605.

Bread Basket is a small organization doing big things! Currently almost all of the food distributed is purchased by the organization. Bread Basket is excited about the grant from the Foundation as it is positioning itself to receive contributions from agencies such as Emergency Food Network and Northwest Harvest that supply a portion of food bank’s food free of charge. This year at the top of Bread Basket's wish list was industrial strength shelving to store food at its food bank and for the surplus storage at its storage unit. Bread Basket had been using antiquated handmade wooden bins donated by a larger food bank. Bread Basket also needs a commercial scale.

“We recently moved into a new location and we were excited that the United Way donated some metal shelving to us that got us started,” Rose Ehart, executive director of the Bread Basket, said. “We received small cash donations from members in our community specifically towards this project and we were on pins and needles because we were halfway there and knew someone in our community would come through to help us complete our project. I was ecstatic when Terasa Hart, manager of the University Place Fred Meyer, called me and said someone from their Committee had brought us to their attention. I was amazed at how quickly they made their decision and presented us with the check. We are grateful to the Fred Meyer Foundation for caring about our community and helping us to keep in line with our motto which is to ‘do good…even better!” Rose shared.

Anyone can feel free to make a cash donation to the Bread Basket. Bread Basket is a 501c3 tax- exempt organization so your gifts are tax deductible. “Right now through the summer our greatest need is cash to purchase food,” Rose reminds us. “And don’t forget we are one of the two agencies in Pierce County out delivering groceries to the needy; and with the cost of fuel these days we could sure use more good neighbors like the Fred Meyer Foundation to help us get through the summer months. We simply don’t want to have to turn anyone away.” If you would like to help the Bread Basket you may contact them by calling (253) 565-3271. You can also mail a check to POB 65328 University Place WA 98464-1328 or make a secure donation through Paypal by visiting the Bread Basket’s web log at http://www.breadbasketoutreach.blogpsot.com/

Bread Basket is proud to be a partner of the city of University Place “the place to live, work, play, and learn.”

WHAT WE'VE BEEN UP TO IN 2005
This year we're having an exciting time. Here's a little recap if you haven't been around for a bit. January started with us doing away with manditory appointments. That's right we listened to our clients and we are doing what we can to meet the most needs. Of course you can only come during the hours we are open!

We also began supporting a wonderful program that has a heart for children. Operation Hope is an afterschool program that tutors and mentors low-income and at-risk youth each week Mon-Fri. Operation Hope has been commended by the Tacoma school district for the marked improvement in the grades and attendance of the children whose lives are being changes. We are happy to be a part of this by providing the programs snacks each week. If you would like to contribute to the afterschool program's snack fund, please contact us.

Speaking of snacks, we are tickled pink to provide food for the Tacoma Daycare and Preschool Association's afternoon "Feeding Frenzy" program. The "Dinasaurs" class (children who are school aged) are able to walk over to their very own pantry and select food when they are hungry. Basically they shop by pictures, so Speghetti-o's, Ravioli, soups, and etc. are a big hit. Most of these children are low income and some may not get enough to eat once they get home. We are glad "Tacoma Day" and it's Director Rosemary Toten are committed to seeing no child goes hungry as long as they can help it. We are glad to help as well.

March found us scrambling to move from our old location to our new one. In the middle of the hussle and bustle we still managed to have our Easter Celebration. We brightened the lives of 500 children by providing them with beautiful Easter Baskets filled with toys, candy, books, and more. But most of all they were handmade with love. Our organization is grateful to the United Way of Pierce County for passing our name on to the TOY RESCUE MISSION. Karol Barkley, executive director and her crew of helpers provided approximately 200 of those handmade baskets towards this event. TOY RESCUE MISSION'S Baskets were way cuter than ours and they should have been, they've been making them by hand for many years. We used to buy them. Thanks Karol for your support and friendship! God bless you for making so many families, children and agencies happy.

By the way the Toy Rescue Mission is also 100% volunteer run, please consider checking out this unique agency and supporting them.

April found us relocated to the beautiful Clock Tower Building at 3617 Bridgeportway W #R in University Place. This temporary location is conveniently located next to the library. (Yes, temporary). Our city's renovation plans also include our current location. This means we will need to move as soon as September 2005 or anytime shortly thereafter. If you or someone you know has a building they would like to donate to the Bread Basket to use for our food and clothing bank, please let us know.

May is one of our busier months. We visit residents of nursing homes and care centers to brighten their lives and celebrate Older Americans Month with them. If you know of a senior who could use a visit, please let us know. If you don't think we are making our way to your care center fast enough please call us and we will do all we can to visit your residents on this year's tour! Or put you at the top of the list next year.

This is also the time of year we start looking towards our back to school event. If you would like to donate school supplies, new clothing, or cash for this event please contact us. September is only around the corner.

MORE EVENTS
This year’s back to school event was a success. We are grateful to agencies like Key Peninsula Senior Community Center, United Way, Office Depot, Emergency Food Network and private donors like John and Debi Srail, Michael Venuto and many more whose generous donations of cash and/or supplies helped us to equip many children for the 2005/2006 school year. Thank YOU!

We would like to thank those who have volunteered this quarter to help us get the work done. Especially those who used their own vehicles and gas to deliver food to the homebound. We could not do it without you.

We will be gearing up for the holiday season, if you are able to help in any way, please do. Thanksgiving we will be providing food to the needy. We can still use cash donations for turkey purchases; please do not donate turkeys, as we will not be able to accept them. Last year the Tacoma Rainier’s ball club (owned by the owner of Foster Farms) donated turkeys, and all the trimmings for several families to enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday with. We are pleased to announce the Tacoma Rainier’s has already committed to a repeat of those efforts. Each year they help many organizations and therefore, they are not able to provide all of the turkeys we will need, therefore, we still need your help to feed the poor.

Christmas is a little further off, but we do want people to keep in mind that it is our biggest event as we give out far more than food and clothing. Please keep Bread Basket in mind when you are doing your holiday giving. Please call us if you have any questions. (253) 565-3271 For those who need holiday baskets, please call to reserve one for your family according to this schedule only. Thanksgiving: November first through seventh
Christmas: December 1st though seventh

Please remember it is on a first come first served basis while supplies last. Please do not call prior to these times or after the cut off. In addition, to be fair for all we will not be allowing reservations for both holidays at the same time. Thank you!

Students please keep us in mind if you want to volunteer someplace. We would love to have your help. If you are interested in food drives, fundraisers, or simply putting all of that youthful energy to work at the Bread Basket have your parents give us a call. This is an excellent opportunity to have a great time and make a difference simultaneously. If you are working towards a letter in volunteering (the United Way's program) we'd love to have you at the Bread Basket.

WE ARE A 501c3 NONPROFIT CORPORATION

Your cash donations to us are IRS approved for tax exemption. The BREAD BASKET has 501c3 status through Ehart Ministries, so give in confidence.

We will mail you an annual giving statement for your tax records. Please note the IRS no longer accepts cancelled checks as proof of a tax-deductible gift nor do they accept credit card statements. Please be sure to include your current mailing address for your statement to be sent to you.

Thank you for your support!

CONTACT US

We'd love to hear from you!

E-mail:
breadbasketoutreach@hotmail.com

Mail:
Bread Basket
POBOX 65328
University Place WA
98464-1328USA

Phone: (253) 565-3271

You may also visit us at:
3617 Bridgeportway W Suite "R"
University Place WA
The Clocktower Building

God bless you!

AN EXTRA SPECIAL THANKS TO...

Brian Butler, President of Postal Express for donating us a much needed Cargo Van. Brian's generosity extends further than he knows. This cargo van "purrs like a kitten" and has allowed us to pick up and deliver food more efficiently.
Thank you Brian for caring and extending your philanthropy all the way south to the Bread Basket!

Bread Basket would also like to thank the following for their generosity this year. They made it possible for us to do good... even better. Thank you to:

The FRED MEYER FOUNDATION, John Quisenberry, and Pacific Community Church for their financial support this quarter.

Bread Basket would like to thank the following for their support this quarter:
City of University Place, Forza Coffee Shop, Safeway of University Place, and Game Matrix, Little Debbie Snacks.

HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED!

Thanksgiving and Christmas conjour up so many emotions and notions concerning celebration and family that there's an avalanche of giving around those holidays. However, there are ten other months of the year that don't seem to attract the same support.

The poor are anatomically the same as you or I, their stomachs need to eat all year long, just as ours do!That means we need on-going continual support twelve months of the year.

We invite you to get involved helping us with this unique outreach and share what you have with others. We need your cash donations yesterday! Please give. Do not leave this site without giving something. Keep in mind that no gift is too large or too small!

Your cash donations are tax deductible. Besides it just makes one feel good inside when we reach out and touch a life!

As a guideline each gift of $25.00 or more will help an average-sized family with a food basket and it contributes to offsetting the costs of transportation to deliver to those we serve. Other donations are also acceptable (such as equipment, vehichles, property, etc.).

Thank you!

"HOLIDAY HOPE 2005"
Last year Bread Basket helped feed 900 families (in our coalition with 15 other agencies) and an additional 300 families on our own. We anticipate an increase this year considering the economy and Katrina victims that have arrived in our state.Our "Holiday Hope" program provides food baskets, clothing, toys, gifts, and a message of community compassion and hope for the needy.

Once again, Bread Basket will be providing holiday food baskets, gifts, and clothing to those less fortunate. In the coming weeks, we’ll provide a complete list of places you may drop off donations of non-perishable foods. This year we will be helping many families and individuals celebrate the Christmas Holiday Season with your help. Please donate generously your food (Click on "HOLIDAY FOOD DRIVE MENU PLEASE DONATE" from the menu to your left for a list of our targeted food items) new and like-new clothing (for all ages and both sexes), games, toys, and gifts (for all ages), and cash donations. (Please purchase new toys and gifts. If you would like you may donate cash and we will purchase bulk gifts for you. Our goal is 2000 toys and games in addition to clothing and other gifts).

If you would like to donate toys, books, Christmas stockings, greeting cards or games (unwrapped and new only) these may be donated directly to the Bread Basket. Please call (253) 565-3271 for details.

We would like to thank the City of University Place and University Place Refuse Service (see city website for details page four of newslatter http://www.cityofup.com/CityManager/HeadlinesArchive/Headlines1005-Web.pdf ) for choosing the Bread Basket as recipient of it’s annual city-wide holiday food drive. In the past, our city has proven to be very generous toward the needy. We will also be announcing a list of those who are working with our city to make this possible. In advance, we want to say thank you to them all.

The foods collected during this drive are non-perishable. We can still use your help with cash donations for the turkeys and hams to add to the food basket. Please remember the Bread Basket is operated 100% by volunteers, so your tax-deductible donation goes 100% to the need.For our seniors we would like to give them the gift of warmth for the winter with new blankets and warm thermal insulated socks.

If you would like to contribute to this, please donate only new blankets and thermal insulated socks, or you may send cash donations which we will use on your behalf to purchase socks and blankets.The winter can be an unforgiving time of the year for our seniors especially those who are all alone and have no one looking after them. With rising heating costs and their limited income, many don't get warm enough. Our goal is to provide 100 low-income seniors with socks and blankets.Please return often as we will be updating the site to keep you informed. Thank you!


HOLIDAY FOOD DRIVE MENU PLEASE DONATE
AS MANY OF THE FOLLOWING ITEMS AS YOU CANCorn (canned)Cranberry Sauce (canned)Gravy (canned)Green Beans (canned)Instant Mashed Potatoes (boxed)Jell-O (boxed)Macaroni and cheese (boxed)Stuffing Mix (boxed)Yams (canned)Assorted Holiday nuts (fresh)If you would prefer to send cash you may send $25.00 per family you would like to sponsor a meal for. Please be sure to specify "Holiday Meal" on your memo. Remember to add $25.00 per family you would like to sponsor and per holiday you would like ot provide a meal (Thanksgiving and/or Christmas). The holiday meals will include fresh turkeys and rolls. Please do not donate turkeys we will purchase them at the time they are needed.If you would like to hold a food drive for the Bread Basket, please contact us and we will provide you with the fliers and containers if necessary. (253) 565-3271Thank you for caring about the needs of others.

HOW TO APPLY FOR CHRISTMAS HELP!

Application deadline is December 7, 2005. All inquiries reeceived after this date will not be replied to.

Please email us at:
apply4help@hotmail.com

We will email you an application.

We will be giving food, clothing, toys and gifts (children ages 13 and under).

If you do not have email access, please call us at 565-3271 between December 1st through December 7th for information on how to apply for help.

Please do not call to follow up on your application as it will not expedite the process.All appointments will be scheduled not later than December 21st. Please do not email us, come to our location, or call and leave a message prior to December 21st. Doing so may disqualify you from receiving help from us this year because it slows us down.

IMPORTANT:
During the holiday season our phones will not be monitored or answered, so please do not leave a message. Simply follow the instrucitons in the email we send you or if you do not have email, follow the instructions on the recording.

Our voice mail has capacity for only 35 voice mails. Once these slots are filled, our message can not be played. Please do not leave a message as it prevents others from hearing our recording. We WILL NOT be checking for messages until January 2006, so please do not leave any messages.

We reserve the right to disqualify those who do not follow these guidelines, as it prevents us from helping everyone.

OUR MINISTRY PARTNERS and FRIENDS

We would like to invite you to become a partner with this dynamic community and social service. Whether or not you are here in person you can support our good works with your financial contributions and together we will get the job done.

Here are a few of our community partners religious and secular.

CITY OF UNIVERSITY PLACE
PACIFIC COMMUNITY CHURCH OF UNIVERSITY PLACE
SHURGARD STORAGE
LAKEWOOD AREA SHELTER ASSOCIATION (LASA)
MACEDONIA MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH
EHART MINISTRIES
JOHN QUISSENBERRY

We'd like to show our appreciation for a few of our sponsors this year. Sponsors are businesses and organizations who have donated cash, goods, and volunteers for a particular event or event(s) to support this outreach. Sponsors differ from Partners because no matter how times in a year they have contributed, they have not committed to being a regular supporter of this outreach.

Thank you to some of our wonderful sponsors such as:

FRED MEYER FOUNDATION
TOY RESCUE MISSION
NEIGHBORHOOD CHURCH
FEDEX KINKO'S
HEARTLAND/JIFFY LUBE
SAFEWAY
COMPUSA
BED BATH AND BEYOND
TACOMA RAINIER'S COMMUNITY FUND
CHENEY STADIUM
CAMPING WORLD
RED ROBIN
STARBUCK'S COFFEE
ROUND TABLE PIZZA
WALT'S AUTOMOTIVE CENTERS
VIVIAN CAMPBELL ADVOCATE FOR THE HOMELESS
CLASSY CHASSIS
GODFATHER'S PIZZA
AUBURN SUPERMALL
TACOMA MALL (SIMON MALLS)
AFFAIR'S CHOCOLATES
DANA'S HOUSEKEEPING
SAAR'S MARKETPLACE
TARGET STORES
PUGET SOUND RESOURCE DISTRIBUTION COUNCIL
B&I
OFFICE DEPOT
WORLD VISION

FRIENDS:
The BREAD BASKET would like to say a special thank you to the Pierce County area Salvation Army for their friendship. Thank you to all of our sponsors and partners; and to all of our future supporters. We look forward to your support. God bless you all!

This list is by no means exhaustive, however, we try to keep it rotated.