Bridge Bread Bakery is part of several communities:
- Benton Park West neighborhood
- Cherokee Business District
- The City of St. Louis
- St. Louis Metropolitan Area
We take ‘community’ seriously. We participate in many community events.
Bridge Bread Bakery owns the residential lot behind the Bakery and, with the help of donors and many volunteers, we have transformed it from an overgrown eyesore into ‘Bridge Bread Park & Parking.’ This provides paved off-street parking for employees, volunteers, and an occasional customer – but, more importantly, Bridge Bread Park is a beautiful flower garden facing the street and a produce garden in raised beds, a large blackberry thicket, fruit trees, and a watermelon patch. Bridge Bread Bakery volunteers maintain all the plants and the neighbors are encouraged to share in the harvest.
There are also two benches and a commercial-quality picnic table available for anyone to use.
Bridge Bread Bakery is a member of the Cherokee Improvement District. We collect and remit a special sales tax that supports District efforts like Love Bank Park. We participate in events like Cinco de Mayo and Print Bazaar that bring many people to Cherokee street to experience the rich and diverse community.
One of the most important things Bridge Bread Bakery does is community outreach where we share the story of ‘Hope in the Baking’ and discuss issues like homelessness, poverty, social enterprise, equity and inclusion. This takes several forms, including hosting groups on tour and special events at the Bakery. We provide speakers for events at elementary, secondary, and higher educational institutions. We participate in classes and panel discussions at universities. We frequently speak at places of worship and our Executive Director has preached several times in several denominations.
