On October 23, 2008, Bill Evans will introduce himself and the House of Bread at our club luncheon. The House of Bread provides free meals to those in need, and Bill is its Executive Director. Dayton Domer Digest had the chance to ask Bill some questions:
What is your background?
My wife Rosemary and I are both UD grads (History and Social work majors respectively). We owned Evans Bakery for thirty-five years. We sold that business so that I could have this very challenging and rewarding second career as the Executive Director of the House of Bread.
How did House of Bread begin?
Our founder Sister Dorothy Kammerer started the House of Bread December 3, 1983. She said our guests did not have to show us a picture ID, have a proof of income, a place of residence, nor suffer through a lengthy interrogation. All were welcome. I have simply carried on with her original intentions.
How many meals does House of Bread serve?
Currently the House of Bread serves around 260+ meals per day or 80,000 meals annually in our dining room, plus 8200 children’s meals.
Where does House of Bread get its food?
The Food Bank is our major source of food. Our main private sector sources are Trader Joe and Gordon Food Service. Food drives and private donations from selected sources make up the balance.
How many people work at House of Bread?
The House of Bread employs five people: a full time Executive Director (me), a full time kitchen Director, a part time volunteer coordinator who doubles as an administrative assistant, a part time dish room/dining room coordinator, and a part time salaried bookkeeper. We have a very lean, dedicated staff indeed.
Are any of the employees former guests at House of Bread?
We reserve a part time dish room position for the hard to employ. We are very proud of that effort.
On whom do you depend for your funding?
Seventy percent of our budget comes from individuals, churches, and small business/organizations. Twenty percent of our funding comes from United Way, Combined Federal Campaign and FEMA. Ten percent of our funding comes from private and public grant sources. Our total budget is $ 270-300K
How has House of Bread changed over the years?
First of all, demand has increased and we have become more efficient. We wish to be the high volume low accost meal provider. We want to share our successes with others and learn to be even more attentive to detail as we serve the hungry. The great strength of the organization is that we have not changed very much at all. There is a simplicity and consistency to our mission that makes it easy to understand and get involved.
What has been House of Bread’s biggest challenge that it has overcome?
The House of Bread, faced with great challenges, moved into its own permanent location at 9 Orth Avenue on August 2, 2002. With a business plan in place, we secured a construction loan and then converted it to a mortgage. We now have the next major challenge to pay off the $275K mortgage balance so that we can expand necessary meal programs. Our current mortgage payment is $2900/month; current interest expense is $25K per year.
What are House of Bread’s goals for the future?
We want to continue to reach out to underserved populations. We want to further expand our children’s nutrition programs. The acronym SMART (Science and Math Attracting Ready Talent) is a well thought out enhancement to our core mission of nourishing hungry people.
What is the most significant challenge that House of Bread’s guests currently face?
More people who hardly ever imagined that they would be “food insecure” will face that difficult situation. We need to be responsive to changing needs and we need to be yet another bridge to beneficial community resources.
What is the most effective way to address those concerns?
We need to be able to build capacity, assure that we have adequate reserves and have the right people in place to insure that we will be always ready and available whatever the need may be.
How can we assist House of Bread?
The House of Bread looks for the same three resources from this organization as it looks for from any organization. I call it M and M and M’s. That would be money, muscle (manpower or womanpower) and momentum (special talent to assist us with our goals and objectives).
Thank you for the opportunity to submit answers to these questions.
Bill Evans
Executive Director
226-1520 or 673-0303
What is your background?
My wife Rosemary and I are both UD grads (History and Social work majors respectively). We owned Evans Bakery for thirty-five years. We sold that business so that I could have this very challenging and rewarding second career as the Executive Director of the House of Bread.
How did House of Bread begin?
Our founder Sister Dorothy Kammerer started the House of Bread December 3, 1983. She said our guests did not have to show us a picture ID, have a proof of income, a place of residence, nor suffer through a lengthy interrogation. All were welcome. I have simply carried on with her original intentions.
How many meals does House of Bread serve?
Currently the House of Bread serves around 260+ meals per day or 80,000 meals annually in our dining room, plus 8200 children’s meals.
Where does House of Bread get its food?
The Food Bank is our major source of food. Our main private sector sources are Trader Joe and Gordon Food Service. Food drives and private donations from selected sources make up the balance.
How many people work at House of Bread?
The House of Bread employs five people: a full time Executive Director (me), a full time kitchen Director, a part time volunteer coordinator who doubles as an administrative assistant, a part time dish room/dining room coordinator, and a part time salaried bookkeeper. We have a very lean, dedicated staff indeed.
Are any of the employees former guests at House of Bread?
We reserve a part time dish room position for the hard to employ. We are very proud of that effort.
On whom do you depend for your funding?
Seventy percent of our budget comes from individuals, churches, and small business/organizations. Twenty percent of our funding comes from United Way, Combined Federal Campaign and FEMA. Ten percent of our funding comes from private and public grant sources. Our total budget is $ 270-300K
How has House of Bread changed over the years?
First of all, demand has increased and we have become more efficient. We wish to be the high volume low accost meal provider. We want to share our successes with others and learn to be even more attentive to detail as we serve the hungry. The great strength of the organization is that we have not changed very much at all. There is a simplicity and consistency to our mission that makes it easy to understand and get involved.
What has been House of Bread’s biggest challenge that it has overcome?
The House of Bread, faced with great challenges, moved into its own permanent location at 9 Orth Avenue on August 2, 2002. With a business plan in place, we secured a construction loan and then converted it to a mortgage. We now have the next major challenge to pay off the $275K mortgage balance so that we can expand necessary meal programs. Our current mortgage payment is $2900/month; current interest expense is $25K per year.
What are House of Bread’s goals for the future?
We want to continue to reach out to underserved populations. We want to further expand our children’s nutrition programs. The acronym SMART (Science and Math Attracting Ready Talent) is a well thought out enhancement to our core mission of nourishing hungry people.
What is the most significant challenge that House of Bread’s guests currently face?
More people who hardly ever imagined that they would be “food insecure” will face that difficult situation. We need to be responsive to changing needs and we need to be yet another bridge to beneficial community resources.
What is the most effective way to address those concerns?
We need to be able to build capacity, assure that we have adequate reserves and have the right people in place to insure that we will be always ready and available whatever the need may be.
How can we assist House of Bread?
The House of Bread looks for the same three resources from this organization as it looks for from any organization. I call it M and M and M’s. That would be money, muscle (manpower or womanpower) and momentum (special talent to assist us with our goals and objectives).
Thank you for the opportunity to submit answers to these questions.
Bill Evans
Executive Director
226-1520 or 673-0303
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