Your Impact in July 2025

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What's in Our August Newsletter?

1. Your Impact in July
2. We're Hiring!
3. Bag to School - Latest Updates

4. Volunteer Spotlight

5. Food Pantry Wish List

6. Community Highlights

7. Events & Updates

Hey, neighbours!

Bridges to Hope is committed to providing dignified and accessible assistance to those experiencing food insecurity. Our vision is a community where all of our neighbours have access to nutritious and culturally-appropriate food.

In this issue of our newsletter, we reflect on our collective impact in July, share some programming updates, increasing numbers, and send some well-deserved thanks to our supporters. Keep reading to learn more!

Food Hampers

Last month, we served a total of 1694 individuals across local households in need which is a 15% increase from the previous month.

Children Served

In July, we served 538 children (aged 0-17), representing one-third of total visits to our food bank. This is an alarming 22% increase from June.

Seniors Served

Our food pantry served 146 seniors (aged 65+) in July 2025, marking a 18% increase from the previous month. These numbers show the increasing demand in our community.

Community Kitchen

In the month of July, our homemade food offerings included bread, chicken soup, beef goulash, chickpea potato curry, and vegetarian chilli, and exceeded 1100 meals.

Thanks to our volunteers for their dedication to this effort!

We're Hiring a Volunteer Coordinator

Volunteer Coordinator

The Volunteer Coordinator oversees the management of volunteers at Bridges to Hope including recruitment, training, communications, and day-to-day supervision.

Click on the button below to read the full job description and requirements.

Learn more

Bag to School Updates

School Supply Drive Highlights

Thanks to the support of our community, we hosted a successful school supply drive on August 1 to collect much needed school supplies. The event was a heartwarming display of community generosity, with many people stopping by to donate supplies and enjoy a BBQ lunch. The funds and supplies collected will directly support hundreds of local students, ensuring they have the tools they need to succeed in the classroom.

We extend our deepest gratitude to everyone who participated, and a special thank you to our partners, Dicks & Company Basics and HOT 99.1 FM, for their invaluable collaboration.

Latest Update: Where Are We Now?

Bag to School Wish List 2025

This year our original goal was to support 400 students, but we received nearly 900 applications.We are working hard to shorten our waitlist and support as many local students as possible, but we can't meet this overwhelming need without your support.

Every donation, big or small, helps a child in our community start the school year feeling prepared and confident. Let’s come together to fill backpacks and feed futures!

If you couldn’t make it to the school supply drive last week, there’s still time to help! We’re accepting donations of new school supplies until August 29 at the following location, or donate anytime online at bridgestohope.ca.

📍 Bridges to Hope Food Aid Centre
37 Cookstown Road
🕗 Weekdays | 8:30 AM – 4:00 PM

🚚 Can’t make it in? No worries! Just email us at info@bridgestohope.ca, and we’ll gladly arrange a pickup! Thank you for your support!

Want to donate? Click the button below!

Donate Today

Thanks to our program sponsors and partners for helping us make this possible.

Volunteer Spotlight

Every day at Bridges to Hope, volunteers work tirelessly to deliver critical community support. Our mission would simply not be possible without this incredible team.

For the month of July, we're highlighting Anja R! Anja is one of our wonderful volunteers in the food pantry. We caught up with Anja to ask him about his volunteer involvement:

When did you start volunteering with Bridges to Hope?

I started volunteering last October.

What is your favourite part of volunteering at Bridges to Hope?

My favourite thing about volunteering is being able to give back to the community.

Tell us a fun fact about you!
A fun fact about myself is that I have an identical twin brother.

Thanks for being a part of our team, Anja. We're glad you've chosen to share your time and talents with us.

August Food Pantry Wish List

Diced Tomatoes

Did you know that the red pigment in tomatoes, called lycopene, is an antioxidant? Antioxidants protect your body’s cells from damage, which helps keep you healthy.

Peanut Butter

Peanut butter is known for its protein content, but it also contains healthy fats that can help improve blood cholesterol. To boot, it’s a source of fiber at 2 g per 2 tablespoon serving!

Oats & Oatmeal

At 4 grams per ½ cup serving, oats are a high source of dietary fibre. Half of this fibre is soluble fibre, which helps create a feeling of fullness all while helping to lower blood cholesterol.

Food donations can be dropped off at 37 Cookstown Road, Monday - Friday from 8:30 AM until 4:00 PM. Thank you for your support!

Community Highlights

Altius Minerals Corp.

Our profound gratitude to Altius Minerals Corporation for their incredibly generous $10,000 donation to our Bag to School Program!

Their support will help us provide essential school supplies and backpacks to students, ensuring they have what they need to start the school year with confidence.

We are so grateful for their commitment to helping local children in our community.

Avanade

Our sincere thanks go out to the team at Avanade for their recent $3,000 donation!

This contribution provides vital support for our mission to fill backpacks and feed futures, making a tangible difference in the lives of many children.

We are deeply grateful for their commitment to our cause.

Johnson Family Foundation

We want to extend our sincere gratitude to the Johnson Family Foundation for their meaningful contribution of $10,604.

This support is a cornerstone for our food pantry, helping us to stock our shelves with essential items and provide nourishing meals to those facing food insecurity. This will directly impact countless families in our community. Thank you!

Grace Hospital Nursing Class of 1975

We were touched to learn that following a recent 50th anniversary celebration, the class chose to direct their remaining funds of $425 toward our food pantry, to help those who are in need in our community.

Thanks so much for this thoughtful donation.

Sharing the Harvest

A huge thank you to Barry from Sharing the Harvest NL for dropping by our food pantry once again with a generous donation of fresh rhubarb and cod fish.

Barry's kindness in always remembering our neighbours with food from the community is truly inspiring. Thank you, Barry!

Thank you!

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our donors, community partners, staff, volunteers, and everyone committed to realizing our mission of reducing hunger.

Thank you for your unwavering dedication and support.

Events & Updates

Bag to School Program 2025 - Ongoing

Fill a backpack, Feed a Future!

Bridges to Hope's annual Bag to School program provides school supply assistance to hundreds of families experiencing financial hardship in the St. John's-Metro region.

Help us to send hundreds of K-12 children back to school with all the tools they need to thrive. For the latest updates, stay connected with our social media and website.

Volunteer Applications Open - Ongoing

Looking to get more involved in our community? We are currently accepting applications for a variety of volunteer roles.

Both morning and afternoon shifts are available. For more information or to apply, click here. If you have any questions about volunteer opportunities at Bridges to Hope, please reach out to Kaitlin at volunteer@bridgestohope.ca.

Meet Our Newest Staff Member

We are thrilled to have Chandra Dodd joining our team as Food Pantry Assistant. If you visit our food bank, you'll catch her on the intake desk, managing inventory, and more!

When she's not at work, she's passionate about history, anthropology, and exploring the natural beauty of Newfoundland and Labrador on road trips. She's also an avid collector of art and enjoys video games.

We are so excited to have Chandra on our team!

Best of luck, Kaitlin!

Please join us in bidding a fond farewell to Kailin, our Volunteer Coordinator. Kaitlin has been an invaluable member of our team for the past three months, and we are so grateful for all of her hard work and dedication.

She has been an absolute pleasure to work with, and we wish her the very best as she embarks on the next chapter of her career. Thank you, Kailin, and best of luck!

Join us in making a greater impact! Share our mission on social media and help us reach even more of our neighbours in need.

PS: If this email landed in your spam or promotions folder, please move it to your inbox or add us to your safe sender list so you don't miss future updates.

37 Cookstown Rd, St. John's NL A1C 4G7
info@bridgestohope.ca
(709) 722-9225

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