Our Work
More than 93 years later, Franciscan Bread for the Poor continues to serve the needy and the hungry on their breadline; they continue to light eyes afire with good food, and, more importantly, with hope.
More than 93 years later, Franciscan Bread for the Poor continues to serve the needy and the hungry on their breadline; they continue to light eyes afire with good food, and, more importantly, with hope.
Early every morning, on weekdays, weekends, holidays, through snowstorms, heatwaves and even hurricanes, over 300 homeless, disabled, unemployed, a large number of women and children migrants, veterans, and those fallen on hard times – all of them poor and hungry – gather along West 31st Street in New York City. The bells of St. Francis of Assisi Church ring at 7 a.m. sharp, signaling that the Breadline is open. Franciscan friars and volunteers offer everyone a Sandwich Bag. No questions asked. No one is turned away. They receive a roll stuffed robustly with meat and cheese, a hearty PB&J sandwich (their favorite!), a can of juice, piece of fruit, and a cup of coffee. Sometimes, depending on the time of year, there’s extras like oatmeal, cereal, granola bars, snacks, handwarmers, and hygiene products.
Our Sandwich Bags are served with warm and friendly greetings, dignity, respect, hope, lots of smiles – and the joyful spirit and compassion of St. Francis of Assisi!
The laughter and cheerful conversation are sounds you’d expect to hear at a neighborhood coffee shop, not where people are lined up for what is often their only meal of the day. This is the Breadline since Sept. 26, 1930, when a Franciscan friar, through a simple act of compassion and generosity, gave sandwiches and five-cent coins to women and men who came to the friary on 31st Street begging for food, clothing and money during The Great Depression. Your generous support helps the Breadline fill Sandwich Bags. Your generosity lets our guests know they are not being ignored. The words of our guests let you know what they think about the Breadline and your generosity.
‘This is the only food I have all day. Without the Breadline, I’d starve.’
Cynthia
Homeless
‘I’m not invisible on the Breadline. They see me, they care about me.’
Jonah
Breadline Guest
‘The friars, volunteers, and those who contribute to the Breadline are our angels.’
Lydia
Single Mom of Two
People sometimes could use a little help with extra food for their refrigerator and pantry. That’s often the case with guests who have a home but struggle to make ends meet and face food insecurity. The Food Pantry Grocery Bags are a lifeline for hundreds of others who come to us in need of supplemental food assistance. Our Food Pantry is open three days a week, offering guests the opportunity to obtain one day’s worth of meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) once a week, or a monthly visit for Grocery Bags filled with four days of meals. We engage our guests with dignity and respect. We provide a menu so they can order the groceries and food they enjoy eating. They relax in a comfortable waiting area while volunteers shop for them in our pantry, pack the Grocery Bags, and then greet and engage them in conversation.
Guests leave with eggs, fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy and grains – and, on a rotating basis, beef, pork, chicken, and seafood – as well as extras like coffee, tea, pancake mix, chocolate, cookies, and cake mix. Every Grocery Bag comes with the love, compassion and giving spirit of St. Francis of Assisi. Your generous support helps the Breadline Food Pantry fill Grocery Bags. Your generosity lets our guests know that others care about them. The guests you help feed at our Food Pantry would thank you for your generosity if they had the opportunity.
‘I’ve been to many pantries, but the Breadline Food Pantry is number one. The volunteers are always so nice. They don’t look down at you because you’re in an unfortunate situation.’
Eric
Pantry Guest
‘We lost our jobs during the pandemic and haven’t been able to recover. The Breadline Food Pantry makes sure our kids don’t go to bed hungry.’
Ronnie and Jess
Pantry Guest
‘We escaped the violence in El Salvador knowing adjusting to life in a new country would be difficult. But the Breadline pantry has made things a little easier.’
Edgardo and Liliana Pantry Guests
Pantry Guest
They can’t come to us, so Breadline Delivers Food Pantry brings groceries to homebound elderly and disabled in need of food assistance. We engage them with the same dignity and respect of our Food Panty guests. They have the opportunity to select the food they enjoy because our Breadline Delivers Food Pantry coordinator contacts all of our homebound neighbors in need and helps them put together their grocery order, which includes the same selections at our Food Pantry – eggs, fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy, grains and, on a rotating basis, beef, pork, chicken, and seafood – as well as extras like coffee, tea, pancake mix, chocolate, cookies, and cake mix. Our coordinator takes an interest in everyone and spends time talking about their dietary needs.
Our volunteers pack the Grocery Bags and deliver them to the front door of our homebound with hope and dignity, and with the compassion and spirit of St. Francis of Assisi. But it’s more than handing off groceries. What does Breadline Delivers Food Pantry and your generosity mean to our homebound guests?
‘I’m a disabled veteran. It can be lonely and isolating when you’re homebound. Breadline Delivers makes you feel special.’
Jaron T
Breadline Delivers Client
‘Breadline Delivers makes sure my wife and I have enough food. The Grocery Bags are packed full.’
Alberto N.
Breadline Delivers Client
‘[The person] who delivers my groceries doesn’t rush off; she spends time talking. Breadline Delivers really cares about me.’
Yolanda A.
Breadline Delivers Client
The Breadline is reaching thousands more struggling and poor families and individuals by sharing the blessings of your generosity with other Franciscan-minded not-for-profits and churches. Breadline Outreach provides more than 2,500 Sandwich Bags and Grocery Bags to programs in Harlem; a parish program in the Bronx for families in need; a program whose volunteers encounter substance-addicted in the streets of the South Bronx, using the compassionate act of offering food to try and connect them to rehabilitation and assistance; a church soup kitchen on the Upper West Side; and food pantries in
Midtown, the Lower West Side, and Upper Manhattan that collectively serve 900 families. Your generosity is helping Breadline Outreach turn our ordinary work into something extraordinary for sisters and brothers living on the margins.
‘Being able to fill my refrigerator with food for my babies makes me happy.’
La’Sondra
Bronx Mom of Two
‘The sandwiches are filling and satisfying. I’m thankful for what they give me.’
Jamal
Lower West Side Resident
It’s the only food I have all day. Thank you, thank you, thank you.’
Antonio
Soup Kitchen Guest
Just a few blocks from the Breadline is Franciscan 360, where compassionate friars and staff members with backgrounds in social work meet the needs of the poor and homeless. Guests who come from the Breadline or local social service agencies can take advantage of everything Franciscan 360 has to offer, including coffee, computer stations, and case management with a qualified social worker who can help them access the following:
Franciscan 360 also offers a secure location for individuals trying to establish residency, where they can have documents mailed and stored safely. It’s only with your generous support that Franciscan 360’s programs can provide a holistic approach to serving those on the margins.
‘I lost everything when I got addicted to alcohol and drugs – my job, house, car, even my family. Franciscan 360 restored my self-confidence.’
Alex G.
‘I figured God didn’t care about me anymore. Then I met the friars and volunteers at the Breadline and Franciscan 360. They’re beautiful people.’
Winston R.
‘The Breadline does so much for me and so many other people. I don’t know what I’d do without the pantry and the offerings at 360.’
Kayla B.
