SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Inspired by Father John Grace’s desire to help the hungry in our community, Bread & Broth began serving hot meals in 1989 to all who came to St. Theresa Church’s Grace Hall for a simple meal. As the organization grew and the need to help feed those still struggling with food insecurity increased, Bread & Broth responded in May of 2010 by offering a second weekly meal consisting of a simple entrée and soup.

Now celebrating its 15 years of feeding those in need, B&B Second Serving’s meal is held every Friday from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Lake Tahoe Community Presbyterian Church in their dining hall/family room located in the lower level behind the church.

Today, the meals have evolved to where the dinners include delicious hot soups donated by local restaurants and casinos, salad, dessert, and more extensive main course dishes such as mashed potatoes, vegetables, and meatloaf or chicken dishes. As with the Monday Meal, the B&B Second Serving cooks pour their love of helping others into providing filling and tasty main course entrées.

Although the meal service is smaller than B&B’s Monday Meal, the atmosphere is warm and welcoming, and the dinner guests are served at their tables, often with music in the background. The camaraderie between the dinner guests themselves and their serving volunteers is heightened by the smaller size both of the number of diners and the number of serving volunteers.

“We are excited to be celebrating our 15th anniversary serving the food insecure population in our community,” shared Susan Baker, Second Servings Advisory Board Chairperson and Team Coordinator. “We have a team of dedicated volunteers who serve a hot meal every Friday.”

Several years ago, Bread & Broth was approached by the Pay It Forward Project looking to form a long-term relationship with Bread & Broth. As an all-volunteer, charitable organization, B&B exemplifies the focus of the Pay It Forward Project to encourage volunteerism.

“Volunteering is a way of giving back to one’s community and making a positive difference, ” said John McDougall, the donor advisor of the Pay it Forward Project. “Volunteering not only helps improve the community; it also is an excellent way to increase the quality of a life for those who volunteer.”

Thanks to the wonderful generosity of the Pay It Forward Project, the costs associated with funding the Second Serving program are now being covered by a grant from the Project. The funding has enabled Second Serving to expand the meal service by providing more filling meals for the dinner guests.

“We are very grateful to the Pay It Forward Project for supporting our mission,” said Susan Baker.

The Pay It Forward Project ensures that every year there will be sufficient funds to offer B&B’s second weekly meal to the vulnerable members of our community and to also provide the opportunity for community members to volunteer their time to help others. Bread & Broth prides itself on being an all-volunteer organization, and the Pay It Forward Project’s recognition of B&B’s efforts to serve our community entirely through our volunteers is an affirmation of the organization’s all-volunteer policy.

For more information on Bread & Broth go to its website and to get information on how you can volunteer in our community, go to Pay It Forward’s link to its South Lake Tahoe volunteer page on Facebook.