Our Mission:
Bridge Bread is a nonprofit bakery that offers hope, dignity, restorative employment, and financial housing assistance to people transitioning out of homelessness.
About Us:
Bridge Bread Bakery is St. Louis’ only non-profit social enterprise that empowers individuals experiencing homelessness by providing meaningful work and marketable baking skills. We believe everyone deserves a chance to build a dignified life. Through our restorative employment and unique Housing Incentive Program, we equip our bakers with the tools and resources they need to achieve self-sufficiency and become contributing members of our community again. Bridge Bread is more than just a bakery – it’s a doorway to a hopeful and brighter future.
What is a social enterprise?
A social enterprise is typically defined as a business that generates profits to fund social programs. While this model is common, Bridge Bread offers a unique approach.
Rather than using profits to support an external organization assisting the unhoused, we are directly addressing the issue at its core by employing and supporting unhoused individuals ourselves. Our bakery serves as a platform to provide stable, full-time jobs with competitive wages, as well as essential support like move-in costs and ongoing rental assistance. By becoming an employer to those we serve, we’re breaking down barriers to employment and offering a tangible path towards self-sufficiency.
Essentially, Bridge Bread is a social enterprise that integrates social impact directly into its business model.
Our successful formula is built on three key factors:
- A significant amount of our sales revenue goes directly to compensating our bakers. Most of our work is provided by volunteers, but as we have grown, we have had to add paid administrative staff.
- Because bread is a consumable commodity, customers return week after week.
- Baking is a valuable trade skill that provides a sustainable source of income for homeless and out-of-work individuals.
Our Success:
Approximately two-thirds of the bakers who have worked at Bridge Bread over the years have been successful. They continue to be housed and employed.
You Can Help. We encourage the community to get involved:
- Buy our products online, or at Soulard Farmers Market.
- Volunteer with our organization.
- Distribute our products through your church, business, or restaurant.
- Tell others about the work of Bridge Bread.
- Follow us on social media – www.facebook.com/bridgebread, @bridgebread on Instagram, and www.linkedin.com/company/bridge-bread-bakery/ on LinkedIn.
- Donate: Financial donations cover rent, utilities, administration salaries, and insurance. Sales of the products made by our bakers cover the cost of salaries and ingredients.
Bridge Bread, founded in 2011 by Fred and Sharon Domke, earned a 2021 Gold Seal of Transparency. You can view our financial details and learn more about the people at our organization by clicking below: