Success Stories

BOL food helps homeless couple in Cambridge

Bread of Life’s evening meals can reach further than we imagine. “Ray”, one of our dinner guests, is without housing. Unable to work due to a mental health disability, he has been “couch-surfing” with a friend while he hopes for a housing opportunity he can afford. Over 30 years ago, his addiction to alcohol nearly killed him. He credits God with preserving his life and enabling him to be in recovery all these years. Ray often spends his evenings in Central Square Cambridge, talking with people he meets, sharing his story, telling them about God’s love. He was there the other night when he saw a couple that looked like they were in bad straights. They told him they had been homeless for several years and had not eaten in a couple of days. Ray often takes a to-go meal when he leaves the BOL dinner each evening. He reached into his bag and gave the couple with sandwiches, juice, bread and other foods he had, which they ate immediately. The woman was in tears as she told him how amazed she was at his kindness and generosity, like an angel to them.

Meeting unique needs of our community members

Our Grocery Delivery Program was scheduled to deliver a food order to a mobility-impaired senior citizen who lives with their cat and who had asked for cat food to be included if possible. The order was filled, but there was a mistake with the address so it didn't get delivered. When we found out, we remedied the problem. The senior emailed us: "Whoever delivered was very kind went out of their way to find right address! I got cat food and I'm happy. And it was raining, so that is 10 stars. That person, if they're paid, deserves a raise. They went back and got the food."

Our Nutrition Backpack Program in the Everett Public Schools is effective and popular!

The brightly colored string backpacks are full of nourishing breakfast, lunch and snack items that nourish students and their families as well. Teacher, Shane McNally relayed that the weekly bags of food "are truly a gift to our school. They contain a brilliant assortment of snacks that everyone will find some enjoyment in. At our school they have become very popular...A number of families in need receive bags each week." One of the students said "I would first like to thank you for always giving me one and for the person that always brings them." Another student said "My sister likes the noodles. I like the juice and the chips." A guidance counsel relayed this observation: “Two students that we consistently give food bags used to express a lot of stress and worry about food insecurity. After receiving consistent food bags, their worries have significantly decreased.”

After the Thanksgiving Day Dinner meal at Malden High School

We received this note from a senior citizen who had a meal delivered to her: “I just received my Thanksgiving dinner. It looks delicious. And chocolate cake too! I love the hand drawn card with the hand drawn turkey. Thank you so much, Diana”