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What's in Our September Newsletter?
1. Your Impact in August 2026
2. Bag to School 2026 Update
4. Volunteer Spotlight
5. Summer Staff & Volunteers
6. Food Pantry Wish List
7. Hunger Action Month
8. Community Highlights
9. Events & Updates
Bridges to Hope Food Aid Centre's Impact in the community shown in this picture
Hey, neighbours!

It's been a busy and exciting month at Bridges to Hope, with our community showing up in so many ways. From helping local students get ready for a new school year to supporting our food pantry and giving their time as volunteers, there has been plenty happening both inside and beyond our doors.
 
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
Throughout August, 1,540 unique individuals accessed our food pantry, accounting for 1,888 total visits.
Children Served
Children aged 0-17 represented 32% of those we supported in August, meaning nearly one in three of our clients were children.
Seniors Served
Adults aged 65+ accounted for 4% of the people who turned to our pantry last month, reflecting the continued need for accessible food assistance among older neighbours.
 
Bag to School 2026 Update
Walmart Canada and
Because of your support, together we provided fully packed backpacks and essential school supplies to more than 1,100 local K-12 students across the St. John's Metro region through our Bag to School 2026 program.
 
This was only made possible because of the incredible generosity of our community, along with our Presenting Sponsors, Altius Minerals and Suncor. As we handed out the backpacks, we saw firsthand the joy and excitement on children's faces and the relief it brought parents and caregivers, knowing some of that back-to-school financial pressure had been lifted.
 
Your kindness helped equip local students with the tools they needed to walk into their classrooms feeling prepared, confident, and ready to learn.
 
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!

In Their Own Words:
What Bag to School Means to Families

Behind every backpack was a family preparing for the new school year. We asked families what they found most helpful about this year's Bag to School program, and their words speak for themselves:
“That people that aren't able to get supplies can now because of this program.”
 
“Helps alleviate the costs of back to school. Clothing and new sneakers are a big expenses as they are.”
 
“I found the helpful staff, useful information, and support provided by the program most helpful. It made the process easier and helped me understand what I needed to do.”
 
"I am a single mother with no job, it helps me a lot with my financial stress"
 
"Love the new bookbags"
 
These are just a few of the comments we received from families who participated in this year's program.
 
Because of your support, we helped ease financial pressure and improve access to essential school supplies, making the back-to-school season a little easier for local families.
 
And to all the students heading back to class, we wish you a wonderful school year filled with learning, confidence, and plenty of reasons to smile!
 
 
To see more behind-the-scenes and our impact together, we invite you to visit our Facebook page
 
THANK YOU to everyone who dropped off supplies, made a monetary donation, or helped pack and distribute more than 1,110 backpacks! We truly could not have made this happen without your support.
 
A special thanks to our 2026 Sponsors & Partners: Altius Minerals Corporation, Suncor, Hebron, Donovan Homes, Dicks and Company Basics, Brush Stokes with Lesley, Avalon Mall, and HOT 99.1 FM.
Our Special Thanks to our Sponsors & Partners
 
 
Community Gives Back: The Sprout Restaurant
Our Tap-to-Give initiative continues to grow, creating more opportunities for neighbours to support neighbours with a simple tap.
 
This month, we're excited to welcome The Sprout Restaurant as the newest host of our travelling Tap-to-Give station. Located on Duckworth Street in the heart of downtown St. John's, The Sprout has been serving the community since 2005 as Newfoundland's first vegetarian restaurant, offering creative vegan and vegetarian dishes with many ingredients made fresh in-house.
 
Community has long been part of The Sprout's story, and we're grateful to have them join us in supporting neighbours experiencing food insecurity.
 
If you're stopping by The Sprout this month, keep an eye out for our Tap-to-Give station. Every donation stays right here in our community, helping us provide dignified and accessible food assistance to neighbours who need it most.
 
P.S. If your workplace, business, or community space is interested in hosting our travelling Tap-to-Give station, we'd love to hear from you at info@bridgestohope.ca.
 
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 impact in our community. 
 
Volunteer Spotlight
Volunteer Spotlight at Bridges to Hope - Jenifer S
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 Anne W! Anne is one of our dedicated food pantry volunteers. We caught up with Anne to ask her about her volunteer involvement:

When did you start volunteering with Bridges to Hope?
 
I started Volunteering with Bridges to Hope in January 2026.
 
What is your favourite part of volunteering at Bridges to Hope?
 
My favourite thing about volunteering with Bridges to Hope is being part of making a small difference in my community. These days it’s hard to feel like you can be a part of making the world a better place so my volunteering helps me a part of my community. Also, important to me are the people I interact with at Bridges to Hope be it the volunteers, the clients or the staff we all part of our community.
 
Tell us a fun fact about you!
 
I start in the Textile and Apparel Design program at College of the North Atlantic in September. It’s been almost 50 years since I started at MUN so I am pretty excited at becoming a student again. Of course I have always been a student of life, learning is very large part of who I  am.
 
Thanks for being a part of our team, Anne. People like you make our community stronger!
 
September Food Pantry Wish List
Ready-to-eat Meals
Ready-to-eat meals and sides such as canned pasta, Sidekicks, and frozen entrees are commonly requested in our pantry.
 
These convenient options help our neighbours put a quick meal on the table, especially on busy days or when cooking resources are limited.
Kids Snacks
With one in three of our food bank visitors being children, kid-friendly snacks are a vital need.
 
Every family hamper with a school-aged child includes nutritious snacks to help keep local kids energized and growing. Items like juice boxes, applesauce, fruit snacks, and Goldfish crackers are a great help!
Canned Meat
Canned meats such as tuna, ham, turkey, chicken, luncheon meat, and corned beef are a much-needed source of protein for our pantry.
 
These versatile, shelf-stable items help our neighbours prepare filling and nutritious meals at home.
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
Food bank use across Canada continues to reach unprecedented levels. According to Food Banks Canada's latest HungerCount:
 
🥫 Nearly 2.2 million food bank visits were recorded in a single month across Canada in 2025.
 
📈 Food bank visits have nearly doubled since 2019.
 
👧 1 in 3 food bank clients are children, despite children representing only about 20% of Canada's population.
 
👷 Nearly 1 in 5 food bank clients reported employment as their primary source of income.
 
Here at Bridges to Hope, we're seeing this growing need firsthand. In 2025, our food pantry recorded 17,910 visits, with children accounting for 31.1% of those we served.
And the need continues to rise. In July 2026 alone, we recorded 1,946 visits and served 1,428 unique individuals, the highest monthly number of visits in our history and 14% higher than our previous record set just two months earlier.
 
This Hunger Action Month, we encourage you to stand with your neighbours.
 
Advocate, donate, volunteer. Every action helps strengthen our community and ensures we can continue providing dignified and accessible food assistance to those who need it.
 
Stay tuned for some special food drive events during the month of September!
 
Community Highlights
Altius Minerals
$10,000 toward brighter starts! We extend our deepest thanks to Altius Minerals, a Presenting Sponsor of our 2026 Bag to School program, for making such an incredible investment in local students. They show up anytime we need support, and we are so grateful.
 
With their support, we were able to put fully packed backpacks and essential school supplies into the hands of K-2 students across our community. Their team also spent a day with us filling and packing backpacks, helping local students step into the new school year prepared and confident.
 
Thank you, Altius Minerals, and the team!
Suncor
A sincere thank you to Suncor for supporting our 2026 Bag to School program with a generous $7,500 contribution as a Presenting Sponsor!
 
And their support didn't stop there. Members of the Suncor team spent an afternoon alongside us, rolling up their sleeves to help pack hundreds of backpacks for local students.
 
Their team also collected school supplies and dropped them off at our office to help us prepare for the program. We're so grateful for the generosity, time, and hands-on support Suncor brought to this year's program.
 
Thank you!
Hebron
A heartfelt thank you to Hebron for their generous $3,000 contribution as a Future Builder Sponsor of our 2026 Bag to School program!
 
Their support helped local K-12 students head back to class with the supplies they needed to feel prepared, confident, and ready to learn.
 
Thank you for helping us feed futures and giving local students a strong start to the school year.
IG Wealth Management

We are so grateful to have had IG Wealth Management onboard for Bag to School again this year! Their staff collected school supply donations and made a $1,000 monetary contribution.

Thank you for helping local kids thrive!
Nasdaq Verafin
It was wonderful to have a team from Nasdaq Verafin join us during our Bag to School preparations, helping fill and pack backpacks for local students.
 
We truly appreciated having their positive energy and support as we got everything ready for the new school year.
Donovan Homes
A warm thank you to Donovan Homes for supporting our 2026 Bag to School program with a generous $500 contribution as a Community Sponsor!
 
Thank you!
Exit Realty Aspire
Many thanks to Exit Realty Aspire for hosting a school supply drive in Bag to School 2026. They are regular supporters of Bridges to Hope who show up everytime we ask for community engagement. 

Thank you folks for standing with us and being a part of our Bag to School program.
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.
Avalon Mall Booths
Over three Saturdays in August, we hosted community booths at Avalon Mall to connect with shoppers, share more about our programs, and collect donations in support of our work.
 
A heartfelt thank you to the volunteers who joined us each weekend and to everyone who stopped by, donated, asked questions, or helped spread the word. 
Maple Select & CissNL
A warm thank you to Maple Select Ltd., CissNL, and Lydia (on the left) for dropping off school supplies in support of our Bag to School 2026 program!
 
We’re grateful for your kindness and for helping local students start the school year strong.
St. John's City Council
A big thank you to St. John's City Councillors Brenda Halley, Nikita Ryall, Jill Bruce, and Tom Davis for spending some time filling backpacks for our Bag to School program!
 
We’re grateful for their time, energy, and hands-on support.
Youth Support
One of the nicest moments during our Bag to School preparations was having young members of our community join us to help fill and pack backpacks for local students.
 
Seeing young people give their time and energy to support other kids in the community made the day even more special.
Thank you.
 
Events & Updates
The Sprout Restaurant
The Sprout Restaurant is hosting our travelling Tap-to-Give station throughout September, giving customers an easy way to support neighbours experiencing food insecurity with a simple tap.
 
If you’re stopping by for a meal, keep an eye out for our station.
 
Dates: Throughout September
Location: The Sprout Restaurant, Duckworth Street
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.
 
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.

Join us in making a greater impact! Share our cause and 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
Charitable Reg. No. 859148009 RR0001