Bakers Unite to Combat Hunger: Community Loaves’ Impact in the Seattle Area

On a recent Saturday near Seattle, Cheryl Ewaldsen emerged from her kitchen with three golden loaves of oat-topped wheat bread. But these loaves weren’t destined for her own table; instead, they were on their way to a local food bank to help families grappling with hunger amid rising grocery costs.

“I just get really excited about it knowing that it’s going to someone and they’re going to make, like, 10 sandwiches,” said Ewaldsen, 75, a retired university human resources director. She volunteers with Community Loaves, a nonprofit organization that connects home bakers with food pantries—a mission that began during the COVID-19 pandemic and continues to thrive.

A Soaring Demand for Nutritious Donations

Since its inception in 2020, Community Loaves, led by Katherine Kehrli, the former dean of a culinary school, has donated over 200,000 loaves of fresh bread and approximately 220,000 energy cookies to food banks across four states: Washington, Oregon, California, and Idaho. This initiative stands as one of the largest grassroots efforts to combat food insecurity in the nation.

With federal funding for food aid experiencing cuts and grocery prices on the rise, Kehrli highlights that the demand for nutritious baked goods is at an all-time high. “Most of our food banks do not get any kind of whole-grain sandwich bread donation,” she explains. “When we ask what we could do better, they just say, ‘Bring us more.’

Escalating Hunger Crisis

Ewaldsen’s contributions help the Edmonds Food Bank, which has seen its client base swell from 350 households to nearly 1,000 within three years, as noted by program manager Lester Almanza. Nationwide, over 50 million people rely on charitable food assistance annually, according to Feeding America. However, with recent drastic cuts to federal food aid, experts anticipate an increase in the need for services like those provided by Community Loaves.

Recent legislation is forecasted to disqualify approximately 3 million individuals from receiving SNAP benefits, raising alarms about growing hunger levels. Meanwhile, the USDA’s decision to cease its annual hunger report poses a further challenge to accurately gauge the situation. “Ending data collection will not end hunger; it will only make it a hidden crisis that is easier to ignore,” states Crystal FitzSimons, president of the Food Research & Action Center.

The Joy of Homemade Bread

For families like Chris Redfearn and Melanie Rodriguez-Redfearn, the food bank has been a vital resource. Having recently relocated to Everett, Washington, they relied on food assistance while waiting for Melanie to secure a teaching position. “The food pantry assists with anywhere from $40 to $80 worth of savings weekly,” said Chris Redfearn. “We’ve been able to keep ourselves afloat.”

Discovering homemade bread at the food pantry was a pleasant surprise for them, especially since they noted that typical donations often comprise highly processed white bread nearing its expiration date. Community Loaves provides wholesome options like honey oat, whole wheat, and sunflower rye, made from minimally processed, whole grain ingredients.

Innovative Solutions in Baking

The idea to donate home-baked bread emerged for Kehrli during her time away from the Seattle Culinary Academy. “I love to bake, and an idea sparked: Would it be possible for us to help from our home and get important valuable nutrition to our food banks?” she recalled.

Many food pantries, however, hesitate to accept homemade goods due to safety regulations. Yet, in Washington and three other states where Community Loaves operates, bread is one of the few foods permitted for donation from home kitchens. Kehrli emphasized, “We wouldn’t be able to donate custard pies or lasagna, but bread is deemed safe as long as it’s fully baked and doesn’t require refrigeration.”

Each baker adheres to approved recipes, buys their own ingredients, and delivers their donations bi-monthly. With a diverse group of participants—from professional bakers to novices—Community Loaves supports its bakers with a robust website featuring recipes and instructional videos.

A Sense of Community and Connection

Baking holds a special significance for Ewaldsen, who has contributed nearly 800 loaves in under two years. “It’s the opportunity for me to bake something and to share it with others, letting them know there’s a community that loves and cares for them,” she shared. While such community-driven acts are commendable, experts emphasize that they cannot replace the need for government support and adequately funded services for struggling Americans.

As Gina Plata-Nino from the Food Research & Action Center notes, “It’s beautiful that our communities act this way, but it is a loaf of bread. That is going to feed one person—and there are millions in line.”