Your Impact in August 2025

View in your browser

What's in Our September Newsletter?

1. Your Impact in August
2. Notice to Donors: Tax Receipt
3. Bag to School Recap

4. Volunteer Spotlight

5. Summer Staff & Volunteers

6. Food Pantry Wish List

7. Hunger Action Month

8. Community Highlights

9. 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 August, share some programming updates, and send some well-deserved thanks to our supporters. Keep reading to learn more!

Food Hampers

Last month, we served a total of 1548 individuals experiencing food insecurity in the St. John's-Metro region.

Children Served

In August, we served 501 children (aged 0-17), representing roughly one-third of total visits to our food bank.

Seniors Served

Our food pantry served 129 seniors (aged 60+) in August 2025.

Notice for Donors: Charitable Tax Receipts

We’re pleased to inform our donors that the clerical error we notified you about in our July newsletter is now resolved. If you made a donation between June 25 and August 20 and have not yet received a tax receipt, it's now on its way to you!

Thank you for your understanding and continued commitment to the mission of Bridges to Hope.

Bag to School 2025

We are thrilled to share that thanks to the support of our community, our Bag to School program was able to provide essential school supplies to each and every family that applied this year. Together, we supported 900 local students!

This was only possible because of the incredible generosity of our community. Your kindness has equipped students with the tools they need to start the school year feeling prepared and confident, and we saw firsthand the joy this brought local children--and the relief it brought their parents.

We are deeply grateful for your commitment to making a lasting impact in the lives of local families. THANK YOU for filling backpacks and feeding futures with us!

A parent sent our team this email after receiving a backpack for their child through our Bag to School program this summer. Seeing the excitement on a child's face and hearing the relief in a parent's voice reminds us just how important this program is for families experiencing financial stress in the St. John's-Metro region.

THANK YOU to everyone who dropped off supplies, made a monetary donation, or helped pack all 900 backpacks! We truly could not have made this happen without your support.

A special thanks to our 2025 Sponsors & Partners: Altius Minerals Corporation, Avande, Dicks and Company Basics, and HOT 99.1 FM.

Thank You to Our Summer Staff & Volunteers

Bag to School Wishlist 2025 shared by Bridges to Hope

Last week, we gathered for a barbecue to celebrate our summer volunteers and seasonal staff!

Week after week, they’ve given their time and energy to help us serve our community — and what a difference they’ve made. Some of our board members also joined us to express their gratitude. It was such a nice time together filled with laughter, good food, and heartfelt appreciation.

To our summer volunteers and seasonal staff: thank you. You’ve made a tangible and immediate difference in our community.

In September, we're saying goodbye to our staff member Emily, who has been with us since 2021. Emily has been a real jack-of-all-trades around here, carrying out many important tasks like food procurement, volunteer coordination, client intake, and even the occasional bit of property maintenance!

Many of our neighbours have gotten to know Emily through her days on the intake desk and we know she'll be missed.

Please join us in thanking Emily for her efforts over the last 4 years! We wish her all the best in her next chapter.

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 September, we're highlighting Nancy W! Nancy is one of our dedicated food pantry volunteers. We caught up with Nancy to ask him about his volunteer involvement:

When did you start volunteering with Bridges to Hope?

I started volunteering for Bridges to Hope in the Spring/Summer of 2024 after I’d read an instagram post seeking new volunteers for summer relief.

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

My favourite thing about Bridges to Hope is being able to volunteer alongside a wonderful and interesting team of people who work incredibly hard to be a stable support for a community in need. And, also, I love seeing a client smile!

Tell us a fun fact about you!

I started taking horseback riding lessons for the very first time this year.

Thanks for being a part of our team, Nancy. People like you make our community stronger!

September Food Pantry Wish List

Kid-friendly Snacks

With one in three of our clients being children, kids-friendly snacks are a vital need.

Every food hamper we distribute to a family with a school-aged child includes nutritious snacks that keep children energized and support healthy growth.

Rice

Rice is a pantry staple across many cultures, making it a key item for our diverse clientele.

It’s a versatile base that helps families prepare nourishing meals in ways that feel familiar and comforting.

Flour

In the last year we have seen an increase in requests for dry ingredients such as flour.

Access to flour gives families the freedom to make what works best for their dietary needs and preferences, whether it’s bread, muffins, or other homemade goods.

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!

📢 September is Hunger Action Month

Did you know that:

🥫 Nearly 1 in 4 people in Canada live in food-insecure households.
🥣 28% of families with children expect to need a food bank in the next 6 months.
👷 18% of food bank visitors are employed.
💸 More than half of Canadians are only one paycheque away from needing help themselves.

In March of this year, food banks across Canada recorded over 2 million visits - the highest number ever. That’s a 90% increase since 2019 (according to Food Banks Canada).

Here at Bridges to Hope, we are seeing the same reality. Last year our food pantry saw over 17,000 total visits, a 30% increase from the prior year. Month after month, more families, children, and working neighbours are turning to us for help. The need is real, and it continues to grow.

This September, during Hunger Action Month, we encourage you to stand with us. Advocate, donate, volunteer: every action makes a difference in strengthening the safety net for our community.

DONATE TODAY

Community Highlights

Hebron

A heartfelt gratitude to Hebron for their generous $3000 donation to our 2025 Bag to School program!

Your generous support is sending local K-12 students back to class feeling prepared and ready to learn.

We’re so grateful for your commitment to helping us feed futures in our community.

Barry and Nadine Perry Family Foundation

We are immensely grateful to Barry and Nadine Perry Family Foundation for their incredible donation of $2000 to our Bag to School program!

Your support helped us get over the finish line and ensure every family who reached out for help received assistance.

Thank you for your generous contribution!

Vision33

Thanks to Vision33 for their incredible contribution to our 2025 Bag to School program!

This team purchased supplies and assembled 33 backpacks for local students, and then delivered them to us all ready to go!

Thanks for filling backpacks and feeding futures with us, Vision33!

Exit Realty Aspire

A big thank-you to the folks at Exit Realty Aspire, some of our regular supporters, for hosting a school supply drive in support of our Bag to School program!

This crew took it upon themselves to hang out at Staples all day on a Saturday collecting much needed supplies for local students. Thank you!

Technip FMC

We are so grateful to the team at TechnipFMC for spending a few hours packing backpacks with us earlier this month!

TechnipFMC has been a steady supporter of Bridges to Hope, from lending a hand in our pantry to showing up for special initiatives like this.

Your commitment and partnership make a real difference in our community.

St. John's Status of Women Council

A heartfelt thank-you to the team at St. John's Status of Women Council for spending a morning packing backpacks with us earlier last month!

It’s inspiring to see what can happen when our community comes together.

Thanks for standing with us in this important work.

Common Ground Community Development

We want to say a big thank-you to Common Ground Community Development Corporation for another generous donation of fresh produce to our food pantry!

They dropped by with a wonderful assortment of freshly harvested vegetables to be enjoyed by our neighbours.

Thank you so much for your ongoing support!

NL Society of Florida

A huge thank you to the NL Society of Florida for their generous support of our Bag to School program!

The Society contributed $1,000 worth of backpacks and school supplies, helping K-12 students head back to class this September prepared and confident.

Thank you to all members of the NL Society of Florida for being part of this meaningful work.

Lighthouse Apostolic Church

Last week, we received a generous donation of food items from Lighthouse Apostolic Church!

We are so thankful for their continued generosity and commitment to supporting our neighbours in need.

Thank you so much for your kindness!

Kenmount Bingo

We are filled with thanks to Kenmount Bingo for their continued support of our Bag to School program.

They dropped by with a collection of backpacks and school items to be distributed among the school children in need.

Thank you so much to everyone who supported.

Hopkins, Pope & Associates

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the team at Hopkins, Hope & Associates (IG Wealth Management) for joining us to back hundreds of backpacks in August!

They brought the whole team out--even the little ones--and packed over 200 backpacks in less than 2 hours! What a feat.

Provincial Homecare

Thank you very much to the team at Provincial Homecare for their generous donation of school supplies to our Bag to School program!

Thanks to this timely support, students in our community are heading back to class this week ready to focus on learning and being kids--without having to worry about lacking the tools they need to participate in the classroom.

Events & Updates

Food Drive at Again & Again - Ongoing

Our friends at Again & Again, a social enterprise of Home Again Furniture Bank, are hosting a food drive in support of Bridges to Hope!

From now until the second week of October, customers will receive a discount when they bring in a non-perishable food item.

Location: Again & Again, 25 Hebron Way, St. John's, NL

Capital Ford Food Drive - Upcoming

Capital Ford (177 Kenmount Road) is hosting a food drive this September in support of our food pantry!

If you'd like to support this initiative, please drop off food items at their dealership: 177 Kenmount Road, St. John's.

Date: September 7 - 25
Time: Mon-Thurs 8:30AM - 7.00PM, Fri 9:00AM - 5:00 PM (Closed on weekends)

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 us at volunteer@bridgestohope.ca.

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

Unsubscribe