Recently, the Richard L. & Diane M. Block Foundation granted the Bread Line funds to relive some of our growing general operating expenses! General operating expenses are what we pay to keep the lights on, the water running, fuel in our tank, clean towels in our shower & our staff on payroll (just to name a few). It is the critical – often behind the scenes – costs of service. As community needs have been increasing at unprecedented levels, so has our costs.

While the Bread Line’s donors & volunteers help in so many generous ways by donating food, clothes, time & a good deal of money – the cost of upkeep on the Bread Line’s aging building & our growing anti-hunger programs adds up. This special donation from the Richard L. & Diane M. Block Foundation allows flexibility in how we use all funds & helps us meet all of our nonprofit needs as they arise.

This is the second time that the Richard L. & Diane M. Block Foundation has granted the Bread Line money. The first time was in support of staffing for our culinary job training program, Stone’s Throw. Their support at that time allowed us to shift our model to be tuition-free for the students in that class. Since then, we’ve had larger class sizes & a higher graduation/employment rate.

In a changing landscape of nonprofit work, this kind of generosity helps organizations like ours meet the need where it’s at. Thank you to everyone at the Richard L. & Diane M. Block Foundation for supporting the Bread Line along with so many other Alaskan organizations!