Blog

Next spring, Bread for the City will open the doors to our brand new, 27,650 square-foot center on Good Hope Road. Building on Good Hope has been more than a campaign slogan, it’s what we hope to do in the Southeast community where we are based. 

And we’re not alone in that goal! I’m thrilled to announce that because of the generosity of our donor community, we’ve raised 83% of our ambitious project budget. That means right now, on Good Hope Road, foundation and concrete slabs are completed with work continuing in stairwells and elevator towers. Power lines and transformers have been relocated to make room for more columns and beams. Other foundational work continues through the month. 

But we’re not quite there yet. We’re $4.5 million shy of our budget goal and could use your help today through your personal campaign gift or pledge. Get started now on our website! 

Our new Southeast Center is about more than modernizing our current operations in the community. It’s about how Bread for the City can play a role in transforming a community. 

Paul Potter, president of Students for a Democratic Society and outspoken critic of the Vietnam War once said, “We must name that system, We must name it, describe it, analyse it, understand it and change it.”

The system our Southeast Center expansion is seeking to end is the system of inequality that has held too many of our neighbors in a vice grip for years. It is a system, and those ensnared in it lack access to quality healthcare, or even any healthcare at all, leading to adverse or fatal health outcomes. 

We are naming that system. Systemic racism and poverty. We will end that system. On day one, we are bringing BFC’s comprehensive medical services to Wards 7 and 8 for the first time. We recognize that equity, access, and quality in our exam rooms are only part of the wellness process. In addition to medical, dental and vision care, we will have space for mental health services, job training and more. 

Our Southeast Center will be a model for the region. A model that provides support to community members where they are, and helps organize those same people to use there power to reform the systems that perpetuate poverty in their communities. Thank you to every donor and supporter who has contributed to this project. People won’t have to beat the odds if we change the odds. 

In 2020, we’re going to continue changing the odds. I look forward to seeing everyone at our grand opening.