But the ultimate result of that move is they are changing lives.
As owners of the Great Harvest bakery in Greenwood Village, Matt and Rachel have a passion for being small business owners. They purchased the local franchise in early 2011. With five children, they love the opportunity the bread business brings for them to work together as a family. Rachel says, “We always felt that God had a bigger plan for us in owning a bakery than just selling delicious food, but we were uncertain of what that might be.”
The answer came earlier this year when two employees, Alicia Campbell and Ellen Parker, presented the idea of sharing their healthy and wholesome bread with the underfed of the city. From that idea, the LOAF project was born. LOAF…Loving Others As Friends. They began by baking and delivering bread once a week to those in need. But, they also wanted to connect and build relationships with as many people as they could.
| Rachel Fehr, Ellen Parker, Sara Schumacher, Alicia Campbell |
Rachel explains, “To aid this project and to involve the community, we started asking for contributions by converting our tip jar at the registers to a collection point for this effort. One dollar donated equals one fresh loaf to be given away.” What began as a 30 loaf a week project has now grown to 250 loaves a week.
But they haven’t stopped there. The bakery crew also hosted BBQs this summer at low income housing areas, setting up a grill, making burgers and hot dogs and playing games with the children. Right now, they are in the middle of a coat drive to help those that are in dire need of the most basic necessities this winter. They are seeking donations of any warm clothing, coats, hats, gloves and anything else that can passed on. There is a drop box outside the bakery for these donations and they plan to distribute them on November 4th.
Rachel added, “As part of the Great Harvest family, we operate under a ‘Freedom Franchise’ which allows us to customize our bakery to fit our community’s unique needs. We can be neighborhood focused.” They’ve enjoyed having help from their neighborhood individuals, families and school groups to keep this project growing. Volunteers are always needed to help bag and distribute the bread each week and financial contributions are always welcome.
The Mission of the Loaf Project
To reach out to the underfed of our city by providing
them with quality, whole grain bread.
To show kindness, love, and respect to those we are serving.
To build community in our bakery, our neighborhoods, and our city.
To Love Others As Friends.
If you’d like to volunteer for the LOAF project, call the bakery at (303) 347-8767. If you’d like to make a financial contribution, checks can be written to “The Loaf Project” and mailed in care of Great Harvest Bread Company, 5910 S. University Blvd. A-12, Greenwood Village, CO 80121.
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