On the Road ...

As we travel to the various food banks, we thought we'd provide a brief recap.

It’s a Wrap:

The 2008 Pass The Bread program has been a HUGE success. We’ve visited 25 food banks in 5 states dedicating just under 500,000 loaves of fresh Mrs Baird’s bread. In total, we traveled 8,105 miles! We would like to thank all of the food banks, the Mrs Baird’s sales team in each city, the Mrs Baird’s transportation team and the Mrs Baird’s shipping team. We could not have executed this program without you. We would also like to thank Barbara Anderson and Lee Pipkin of the Texas Food Bank Network. They played a huge role in helping us plan and communicate with the 19 food banks we visited in Texas.

After touring to all of the main Mrs Baird’s service areas, we are thankful and fortunate to provide bread to the nicest and most genuine customers. Thank you for all of the cold water on hot summer days. Thank you for the kind waves along the road. Most of all, thank you for supporting Mrs Baird’s for 100 years!
We urge you to donate to your local food bank. Get involved and volunteer. Urge your company to also get involved. Hunger in our communities is growing at an alarming rate. We at Mrs Baird’s cannot solve this problem alone. It takes the work of many to make a difference. Kids are out of school during the summer and need good nutrition. Many elderly are having to make tough choices between food, gas and medicine. Food banks themselves are having to use more money to purchase less food.

The Mrs Baird’s Pass The Bread donation will hopefully help to alleviate some of these problems. But we need you. We encourage you to support your local food bank with your time, talents and resources. Together, we can stand up and make a difference.

Kansas City, MO. Harvesters Community Food Network, August 4, 2008:

Here we are—our last stop on the 2008 Pass The Bread tour. The folks at the Harvesters Community Food Network in Kansas City say we saved the best for last! When we arrived at the food bank, we were taken to their “shopping” room where bread racks lined the outside walls. Being a food bank partner already, those bread shelves had quite a few loaves of Mrs Baird’s bread already. However, the vast majority of the space was vacant. That soon changed as we began unloading 3,000 loaves of bread and filling those formerly barren racks. But this was not a quick process, however. As soon as we put the bread out, agencies came right behind us to collect it for their clients.

Many agencies told us they are excited about the Pass The Bread donation because it is fresh bread, straight from the bakery. They will have 7-10 days to distribute the bread! Fresh Mrs Baird’s bread will be coming to the Harversters food bank for several weeks. Mrs Baird’s is donating a total of 20,000 loaves of bread to support the food bank’s 550+ agencies in Missouri and Kansas.

Bethel Heights, AR, Northwest Arkansas Food Bank, August 1, 2008:

Representatives from the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank pose in front of the Pass The Bread truck. Pictured are Justin Goodwin, warehouse staff; Jordan Ganoung, warehouse staff; Gerald Demory, Dir. of Agency and Donor Relations; July Hammond, Director of External Relations; Dan Schroeder, Operations Manager.

As the population of Northwest Arkansas rapidly grows, so is the number of those who are hungry. So when agencies from the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank heard there was fresh bread being delivered, they started arriving early. Early demand was so high, we even had to take bread from our Pass The Bread display to load into agency vehicles. This is a true sign that the total of 10,000 loaves of fresh Mrs Baird’s bread will not last long at the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank.

Many agencies told us this bread could not have come at a better time. Judy Hammond, Gerald Demory and the entire staff at the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank do a great service to their four counties of Northwest Arkansas. In fact, during the first quarter of 2008, the food bank saw an increase in food distribution of 38 percent. Now, more than ever, the food bank needs your support to meet their growing demand!

Tulsa, Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma, July 30, 2008:

Food bank employees and volunteers make 1,000 sandwiches using Mrs Baird’s bread.

We give a huge tip of the hat to Cindy Stevens and the great people of the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma. They really thought outside the “bread box” for their Pass The Bread event. When we arrived the day before the event, we were escorted into their large kitchen where volunteers were assembling hundreds of sandwiches for area children. Each lunch bag not only contained a sandwich made with Mrs Baird’s bread, but we also included a treat—a package of Mrs Baird’s powdered donuts. During the Pass The Bread event the next morning, food bank volunteers continued making more sandwiches for a total of 1,000 bag lunches especially for children. Each lunch bag was labeled with a printed sticker explaining the Pass The Bread program. Shortly after the sandwich lunches were completed, agencies came to the food bank to take the lunch bags to feed children in the 24 counties of Eastern Oklahoma.

Oklahoma City, Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, July 29, 2008

Oklahoma City media video a food bank employee unloading 3,000 loaves of bread from the Pass The Bread truck.

This trip north of the Red River is like a fresh beginning. Our Pass The Bread truck is back in service and running better than ever. We’d like to thank Sam May and his transportation team in Fort Worth for keeping us going this summer! We didn’t arrive in Oklahoma City until late in the evening as we had to wait for the Pass The Bread loaves to finish baking at our Fort Worth bakery! Rodney Bivens, Dawn Burroughs and all of the staff at the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma hosted a tremendous Pass The Bread event. The Oklahoma media also came out in force. We had seven television cameras cover the event! Check out this clip from the Daily Oklahoman. The first delivery of a total of 10,000 loaves of Mrs Baird’s bread didn’t stay at the food bank long. Food bank agencies loaded the fresh Mrs Baird’s bread into their vehicles (and even one horse trailer) and took it to those in need in the food bank’s massive 53 country distributinon area.

Houston, Houston Food Bank, July 18, 2008:

The folks at the Houston Food Bank asked if we would host our Pass The Bread event at one of their largest food distributions. We jumped at the opportunity as it is really amazing to see our bread directly in the hands of those in need. Each Friday, the Community Family Centers in East Houston hosts a food distribution to approximately 1,000 families. For this week’s event, each family also received loaves of fresh Mrs Baird’s bread. To help us in this distribution, Mrs Baird’s Regional Sales Manager Steve Brinck enlisted the help of his local team. At 10am, the food distribution began and the line started to rapidly grow. At one point, the line of people wrapped all the way around the entire parking lot. Some people walked several miles to collect food. Many brought their empty laundry baskets with hopes of filling it with food for the week. Like in Laredo, seeing this great need first hand is a very touching experience. Not once did we hear anyone complain. Despite the long wait in the hot Houston sun, people wore smiles on their faces and were very grateful to receive food assistance. Thanks to the Houston Food Bank, we now see our efforts making a small difference in our community. A total of 50,000 loaves of fresh Mrs Baird’s bread will arrive at the Houston Food Bank throughout the rest of the summer and fall.

Beaumont, Southeast Texas Food Bank, July 16, 2008:

Representatives from the Votaw Lighthouse Outreach Ministries load Mrs Baird’s bread.

After leaving Victoria, we traveled to Beaumont. On the way, we stopped at our Houston bakery where our top-rate transportation team had a replacement bread truck waiting for us. Upon arriving in Beaumont, Emelie Irving, Donald Stagg and the whole staff of the Southeast Texas Food Bank hosted our team with a packed agenda. First we appeared on the noon newscast of KFDM, the local CBS affiliate. The next morning, agencies began showing up about an hour before the Pass The Bread event. Some agencies asked if they could go ahead and get the bread early so they could take it immediately to use to serve lunch to kids, elderly and homeless. Mrs Baird’s bread began “flying” off the shelves! In about a 30-minute period, we unloaded our entire truckload of 3,000 loaves of bread. In fact, we had to hold a few hundred loaves back to have product for our event. When the media and community guests arrived, the rest of the bread was loaded and on its way to help feed the hungry in Southeast Texas. The Southeast Texas Food Bank will receive more than three truckloads of fresh Mrs Baird’s bread—10,000 loaves in all.

Victoria, Food Bank of the Golden Crescent, July 14, 2008:

Shane Sumrow, Mrs Baird’s Public Relations; Mrs. Major Denise Lozano, Salvation Army; Cindy Zamora, Food Bank of the Golden Crescent Executive Director

Just a short drive north takes us to the Food Bank of the Golden Crescent in Victoria. Once again, our Corpus Christi sales/warehouse team helped deliver the bread to the food bank. On the morning of the event, all of the Mrs Baird’s bread was in place waiting for agencies to come and distribute to those in need. Many thanks to Cindy Zamora, the new Executive Director of the food bank. Cindy and her whole team welcomed us with open arms. Before the Pass The Bread event, the food bank hosted a reception complete with finger sandwiches (made with Mrs Baird’s bread of course). Agencies quickly began transferring bread into banana boxes (a huge food bank commodity due to their multiple uses). The Food Bank of the Golden Crescent will receive a total of 5,000 loaves of fresh Mrs Baird’s bread.

Corpus Christi, Food Bank of Corpus Christi, July 11, 2008:

Children from St. John Baptist Church Child Development Center help “pass the bread” into the food bank.

After traveling about 6,000 miles, the Pass The Bread truck suffered a major mechanical setback between Laredo and Corpus Christi. But, the Pass The Bread program must go on. While the Pass The Bread truck was getting a new transmission, the Mrs Baird’s sales/warehouse division from Corpus Christi along with Lee Pipkin from the Texas Food Bank Network made sure the bread and our event materials made it to the Food Bank of Corpus Christi. In addition to food bank agencies, the event at the food bank was also attended by about 20 children from the St. John Baptist Church Child Development Center. When it was time to off-load the bread from the truck, all of the kids lined up on the sidewalk forming a line from the truck to the food bank door. Then we began passing the bread. Each child took one loaf of bread and passed it down the line—talk about great teamwork! The Food Bank of Corpus Christi will receive a total of 10,000 loaves of fresh Mrs Baird’s bread. Thanks again to our Mrs Baird’s Corpus associates who made the first delivery possible.

Laredo, South Texas Food Bank, July 10, 2008:

Those in need greatly appreciate their Mrs Baird’s bread in Laredo.

A quick drive up the Rio Grande corridor takes us to the border city of Laredo, our next Pass The Bread stop. After a quick stop at the South Texas Food Bank, we went to the site of the event at Christ Church Episcopal. This is the first time we hosted an event at a food bank agency. Christ Church Episcopal offers a weekly food assistance program called New Leaven. Each week, hundreds from the Laredo community come to the church to collect sacks of food. The day before the event, the Laredo Morning Times printed an article about our visit and the extra bread that will be on hand. Both the church and the food bank were inundated with calls from the public inquiring about the event. During the food distribution, we set up two lines: one for the normal food distribution and another for those only coming to get Mrs Baird’s bread. Seeing our bread actually go directly to those in need is a very humbling experience. We talked to people who walked 4 miles just to get a few loaves of bread. Seeing the need in our communities first hand emphasized the need in our communities. We truly hope Pass The Bread will inspire other companies and individuals to donate their time, money and efforts to their local food banks.

McAllen, Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley, July 8, 2008:

Student volunteers help “pass the bread” from the

Mrs Baird’s truck into the Boys and Girls Club.

The Pass The Bread caravan began a two-week swing through South Texas by helping with the grand opening of a new Kid’s Café at the Boys and Girls Club of Pharr (just outside McAllen). The Kid’s Café program is just one of the many ways food banks around the country help children. Several times a week, Kid’s Cafes provide hot meals to children who are in need of healthy foods and good nutrition. The grand opening of the Kid’s Café at the Boys and Girls Club of Pharr was a grand event indeed. More than 150 kids of all ages packed the room to eat freshly prepared grilled chicken strips, green beans, mashed potatoes and of course Mrs Baird’s rolls. Numerous local dignitaries including Mayor “Polo” Palacious of Pharr, Julian Alvarez from the office of US Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson, Salomon Torres from the office of US Congressman Ruben Hinojosa, and Superintendent Eduardo Cancino from the Hidalgo Independent School District. We even participated in the grand opening ribbon-cutting ceremony presented by the Pharr Chamber of Commerce. To do our part in the celebration, every child left with two loaves of fresh Mrs Baird’s bread. The Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley serves thousands of people annually. Mrs Baird’s is proud to donate a total of 20,000 loaves of fresh Mrs Baird’s bread to this food bank to do our part in feeding the Rio Grande Valley.

Waco, Capital Area Food Bank, June 25, 2008:

Volunteers fill sacks of Mrs Baird’s

bread for the hungry in Waco.

The Waco area is serviced by the Capital Food Bank in Austin. However, we did not want to exclude the Waco community from our Pass The Bread tour. Mrs Baird’s has been an integral part of the Waco community for decades. Therefore we thought the best place for the Pass The Bread event would naturally be our Waco Bakery. Representatives from the Capital Area Food Bank in Austin along with four of their Waco agencies came to our bakery to collect their first delivery of bread. Everyone donned hairnets (food safety first) as we passed the bread to the food bank and their agencies. It certainly doesn’t get any fresher than this. Before loading the Mrs Baird’s bread into their agency trucks, we offered a tour of the bakery and of course gave samples of fresh hot-baked bread! When the Pass The Bread event concluded, one local agency invited us to their distribution. When we arrived at their pantry, dozens of people were lined up to collect food and fresh Mrs Baird’s bread. It is really touching to see our bread in the hands of those in need.

Bryan/College Station, Brazos Valley Food Bank, June 24, 2008:

Shane Sumrow, Mrs Baird’s Public Relations;

Jay George, Mrs Baird’s Local Sales Representative;

Theresa Mangapora, Exec. Director Brazos Valley Food Bank;

Tim Whipple, Mrs Baird’s District Sales Manager

The folks in Aggieland really turned out for our Pass The Bread event at the Brazos Valley Food Bank. Executive Director Theresa Mangapora and all of her staff did a phenomenal job organizing the event. Even though this food bank is one of the smaller food banks we’ll visit, more than 100 guests from agencies, local dignitaries and the media attended the event. For the event, we actually drove the Pass The Bread truck inside the food bank to use as our backdrop. The presentation ceremony included remarks by representatives from the cities of both Bryan and College Station, State Representative Fred Brown, a representative from the office of US Congressman Chet Edwards, and food bank board president John Happ.

Giving bread to all of our food banks is a tremendous honor and pleasure. However, College Station Mayor Ben White pointed to the logo on our Mrs Baird’s banner to make a very important point. The logo contains the slogan “Making Fresh Traditions.” Mayor White pointed out that something doesn’t become a tradition unless you do it more than once. Talks are currently underway to make Pass The Bread an ongoing program to assist the food banks in the areas we serve. We do hope to continue Pass The Bread and make it a community “tradition” for years to come!

Continue to read about our travels