July 20, 2016
Bridge Bread rises in St. Charles Nonprofit Bridge Bread Bakery opens new location on Main Street and continues to advocate for the homeless
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By Brett Auten The good word and positive intentions behind the Bridge Bread Bakery has expanded to Old Town St. Charles. Bridge Bread Bakery, already wellestablished in downtown St. Louis, has opened its second storefront. The bakery, which is a Missouri nonprofit focused on providing jobs and life skills for the homeless, chose Main Street in St. Charles as the location. Bridge Bread did a soft launch on the first of July and followed that with a ribbon cutting ceremony and official opening on July 12 that was met with fanfare. Bridge Bread Bakery specializes in treats like bread, gourmet rolls, and sweets with straightforward and uncomplicated ingredients. “We sold twoweeks’ worth in the first day,” Kelley Hartnett, a St. Charles County resident and one of three head volunteers at the store, said. “We had to close on that next Tuesday just to catch up. The response has been fantastic.” According to its website, about three quarters of proceeds from product sales goes to the bakers’ wages and one quarter pays for ingredients. There is no other paid staff. Rent, utilities and insurance are covered by donations. Bridge Bread has six bakers at its center in downtown St. Louis and has signed on over forty churches as distributors. Last year it opened a retail location on Cherokee Street. Bridge Bread started in 2011 and is the brainchild of Fred Domke and his wife Sharon. Domke says that the real purpose of Bridge Bread is much more than just producing tasty morsels and ample loaves. Bridge Bread’s mission is to help the disadvantaged engage in a financially rewarding scenarios that will hopefully enhance self-worth, dignity and self-assurance.
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Photos by Ray Rockwell (Above) The Bridge Bread Bakery store front is located on Main Street in St. Charles. (Right) The shelves at Bridge Bread Bakery stocked with an assortment of sweet rolls.
“It’s about making jobs,” Domke said. “It’s about giving people employment that matters. It’s about letting them do something that they’re proud of and let me tell you something, these guys make great bread.” As the store and demand for supply grows, there is anticipation of tinkering with the menu to help cater to the St. Charles foot traffic. Right now, the menu is the same at both locations. “We have gotten a lot of requests for gluten free,” Harnett said. “Folks are starting to wander in just like every spot on Main Street.” Bridge Bread is always looking for volunteers and the St. Charles location is no different. Hartnett and Launa Danielson and Peter Matzner, all local residents, will carry the load at the Old St. Charles location. “We’ve been a little overwhelmed by how the community has embraced Bridge Bread,” Danielson said. “We’re starting to have our regular, full-time
customers along with tourists passing through and asking about the story of Bridge Bread and sharing their stories as well.” Hours of operation are from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. on Saturday and from 12 until 5 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, call Bridge Bread on Main at 636-757-3577, visit their website at www.bridgebread.org or check out their Facebook page at www.facebook. org/bridgebreadonmain.
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Bridge Bread Bakery 419 S. Main in St. Charles
Breads, sweet rolls and brownies using simple, wholesome ingredients with nothing artificial added. Bridge Bread is a social enterprise designed to provide supportive employment for people without safe and stable housing.
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