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What's in Our August Newsletter?
1. Our Impact Summary     
2.'Thank you' to our community   
3. Our community impact and numbers 

4. Annual Bag to School Program 2024
5. Community Highlights
6. Programs and Events
Dear Valued Donors,

We ensure every donation is managed with care to optimize its effect, and we are committed to maintaining transparency and accountability with our supporters like you.
 
A Heartfelt Gratitude!

We would like to express our deep appreciation to our donors and partners, whose enduring support is essential to our mission of reducing hunger. Your continued generosity is the cornerstone of our achievements, and we truly value it. Please pause to recognize the considerable difference you’ve made in the last month.
Food Hampers
In July, we provided 736 food hampers filled with essential food supplies.
In doing so we supported 1,470 individuals, including 229 seniors, 97 single parents, and 493 children in our community.

We truly could not provide this support without your help.
Emergency Hampers
Our emergency food hamper program continues to offer critical support to individuals and families in our community, enhancing their monthly provisions.

Last month we distributed 194 emergency hampers, a slight decrease from 218 last month.
First Time Visits
In June, 49 new households sought support from our food pantry for the first time.

We deeply value your continued support as we address this challenge together.

Your generosity makes a profound difference. Thank you!
Children Served - 12.8% Increase in Children
In July we provided healthy snacks to 493 children, marking a 12.8% increase from June's total of 437. These children represent one third of our total food pantry visits for the month.

This increase once again emphasizes the challenges many families face in providing essential nutrition for their children, highlighting the increasing need for support among our community's youngest members.
 
'Bag to School' Program 2024
Your Support Is Crucial!

For over a decade, Bridges to Hope has been supporting K-12 students in the Metro region through our annual Bag to School program. This program ensures hundreds of students go back to class in September with a backpack custom-filled with the supplies they need for a successful school year, so that they can focus on fun, learning and being kids.

Due to increased demand, we are aiming to DOUBLE the number of students we support this year: from 350 to 700. We are confident with your generosity, we can achieve this goal.
Please Help Us Help Kids: a donation to our Bag to School program truly helps shape a kid’s future.

Thank you for your support!
DONATE NOW
Bag to School - Back to School Season Program by Bridges to Hope Food Aid Centre
 
Community Highlights
Atlantic Mission Society Donates to Bag to School
We are kicking off August with a very special donation of $2500 from the Atlantic Mission Society!
 
We would like to send a special thanks to St. Andrew’s and St. David’s Presbyterian Churches for nominating us to receive this donation.

This generous gift toward our Bag to School program will go a long way in supporting local kids as they head back to class this September.
Enterprise Rental Spends a Day Volunteering
A big thanks to Enterprise Truck Rental for their support. Senior Account Specialist, Timothy, had a busy ‘ride-along’ Monday with our pantry staff. You can read more about his experience below.

If your workplace would like to hear more about volunteer opportunities at Bridges to Hope, please reach out to us at info@bridgestohope.ca.
NL Folk Arts Society Donates Sandwiches
Thanks to the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Arts Society for dropping by with a generous donation of leftover sandwiches from their NL Folk Fest 48.
 
It's heartening to see our clients kept close to our community's minds and hearts.
Sharing The Harvest NL Continues its Support
Barry from Sharing The Harvest NL dropped by with freshly caught cod by himself in Bonavista Bay, and rhubarb grown and generously donated by Darryl & Jody Roache.
 
Thank you for your continuous support. We really appreciate it! 
Belairdirect Volunteers at Bridges to Hope

Heartfelt thanks to the amazing team team of 10 from Belairdirect St. John's, NL who joined us on Thursday.

They spent the afternoon sorting donations, portioning bulk food items for distribution, packaging up homemade soup and goulash, and helping out wherever they were needed.
PetValu Collects Pet Food and Other Supplies
Our gratitude to PetValu, Churchill Square for gathering donations of pet food and other supplies for local organizations that support pets and their owners. Pet food is a commonly requested item in our food pantry. 

Thank you to the staff and customers for your contributions.
 
Community Connection: Timothy's Day at Bridges to Hope
 

Senior Account Specialist at Enterprise Truck Rental, Timothy, shared valuable insights from his day volunteering at our food aid centre:

“Volunteering in a food bank allowed me to appreciate the issue of food security more, and acknowledge how important it is to have food aid centres like Bridges to Hope to assist our community. One of my goals setting up volunteer initiatives like I did yesterday is to allow my colleagues to get more connected with their community and understand the importance of helping others out.”

A big thanks to Timothy for lending his time in support of our community, and to Enterprise Truck Rental for making giving back a priority and inspiring others with your actions and words!

If your office, business, or group would like to hear more about how you can join us for a day like Timothy’s, please reach out to us at info@bridgestohope.ca.
 
Programs & Events...
Ongoing: Bag to School 2024
Our Bag to School program has received over 650 applications as of today and we expect more to arrive as back-to-school season begins.
Now, we must call on our community to help us help kids. Reaching 700 students with top-quality school supplies is quite a financial endeavor; but with your support, we are confident we will achieve this goal.
If you would like to offer your support, please visit bridgestohope.ca or contact us at info@bridgestohope.ca
 
Join us in making a greater impact! Share our mission on social media and help us reach even more people in need.
37 Cookstown Rd, St. John's NL A1C 4G7
info@bridgestohope.ca
(709) 722-9225