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About
Us |
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Mission |
The House of Bread exists in
order to provide urban ministry to the economically disadvantaged in
the Hartford area.
Simplicity, dignity and respect are to be characteristics of our
services to the hungry, homeless and needy population.
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History |
On February 4,1980, in a one room kitchen armed with a twelve cup
coffee pot, a two slice toaster and a few dollars, two
Sisters of
Saint Joseph ventured into the North End of Hartford on a journey to
follow a dream. The dream of feeding the poor and meeting the basic
needs of Hartford’s
poorest people materialized and grew. Sisters
Maureen Faenza and Theresa Fonti and many dedicated people, worked together to follow the voice of
a dream and respond with personal resources, prayer and renewed
energies.
In fulfilling the dream of assisting Hartford’s
poor, The House of
Bread embarked on programs focusing on hunger, shelter, transitional
living, affordable housing, education, Thrift Shop, and job
training programs. All efforts became possible with the support and
involvement of numerous volunteers, many church and civic groups,
and various businesses and corporations.
A strong influence on The House of Bread service ministries is the
dedication and commitment from Saint
Patrick ?Saint Anthony Church.
The Franciscan Friars support and encourage the involvement of
parishioners in many of our service programs.
Has the dream been fulfilled? That first step taken in 1980, a risk
to walk among the poor in the city of Hartford, gave rise to
wonderful possibilities, cherished friendships, and new ways to give
and receive. The Good News says to feed the hungry, to clothe the
naked and to shelter the homeless?and so it is done.
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A Message From the
Co-Directors |
 Co-Director’s
Message
It all started on February 4,1980. We will always remember our
humble beginnings, serving coffee and donuts to a group of men and
women suffering mostly from alcoholism and loneliness at a small
location in Hartford's Northend. The need to provide food to the
hungry and homeless grew rapidly and we found ourselves expanding
our services and moving to new locations throughout Hartford.
As the years have passed, we have been filled with many blessings.
The hard work of many wonderful volunteers, staff and board members
helped to bring our shared mission to the people of Hartford in a
real, hands-on fashion. Financial support and donations for The
House of Bread is widespread throughout the greater Hartford area
from the $5 donations from former clients to household items for the
Thrift Shop to significant contributions of area executives and
beyond. We hold dearly in our hearts the numerous individuals,
including our guests, who are all part of the fabric of The House of
Bread today.
Surely, our target population has grown and expanded through the
years and our hope is to continue to offer needed services to the
poor and needy in Hartford with dignity and respect. Our services
have grown beyond food to encompass support from the
“street to your
feet.?
Our transitional, supportive and affordable housing programs are
proving to be very successful as we see individuals in recovery
moving into independent living and some families moving on to
owning a modest home.
As we all know the importance of education, we strongly encourage
the women in our HOME program to persevere on the challenging
journey of being a Mom and studying for their high school diploma. The
FEAST program, a 12 week basic culinary program which operates out
of the Soup Kitchen, also stresses the importance of developing
and/or enhancing work and study skills.
Finally, our brand new "BABY" is Kids Cafe which provides warm,
comfort foods to over 400 children enrolled in 4 different Boys and
Girls Clubs in Hartford during the school year. We have received great
feedback from the Directors of the Clubs who know the value for
young people eating healthy.
Thank you for your interest in The House of Bread. If you would like
more information, please contact us.
Peace,
Sister Maureen Faenza
Sister Theresa Fonti
Co-Directors
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Board of Directors
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- Sister Maureen Faenza,
Co-Director
- Sister Theresa Fonti,
Co-Director
- Carl Zyskowski, President
- Cornelius M. Dempsey, Vice
President
- Rebecca Webber, Secretary
- Barbara Theurkauf,
Treasurer
- Fr. Thomas Gallagher, OFM
- J. Roger Hanlon
- David Hart
- Roger Jacobs
- Sister Mary Kelly
- Monica Kelly
- Coralie Odoms
- John Ryan
- Susan Tackach
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