Jean Wu of The Bread Booth surrounded by the bread and other groceries her group gives out to anyone that wants or needs it.

As a personal project, I have started what I am calling my Spotlight Series. There are so many people in our community that are working to make things better in some way. My vision is that I want to find them, meet them, photograph them, and tell their stories. If you know an amazing person or a regular person doing amazing things, please send me an email, or fill out our nomination form!

Jean and some of her volunteers bagging gleaned groceries and bread to give out at their weekly event.

Today I am featuring Jean Wu of The Bread Booth. Jean has a system where she, her partners, and her volunteers “connect people with food and love others well.” They do that by gleaning food and giving it out in the community every Monday evening at 6:00 as well as building their community with a Facebook Group.

What inspired you to start the Bread Booth?

Several years ago, a friend shared with me her plans to “bloom where you are planted”. She planned to host an ice cream social in her neighborhood as a way to meet her neighbors and build community. I remember longing and wishing to be her neighbor. Then, a thought occurred to me. I began to wonder, maybe, instead of waiting for something cool to happen, I could be that agent of change. This launched me on a personal journey of readying my heart to build community. Several months later, an unusual opportunity presented itself. A former neighbor asked if I would like to share food with my neighbors. She explained, the foods were mostly different types of breads and sometimes miscellaneous produce like tomatoes, apples, and bagged salads. All I needed to do, was to be willing to host. I remember thinking, this can’t be more perfect! I do not even need to leave my home to meet neighbors. The distribution started off with a delivery of 6 boxes of breads to my driveway. I quickly offered up on several Facebook free gifting groups as “flash gives”. Any unsuspecting neighbor out on an evening stroll or bike ride was invited to take some food home with them. Soon, I decided to make the distribution more fun by turning them into events on the newly created Facebook group, The Bread Booth. The group quickly found its weekly rhythm caring for approximately 40 families. We would receive anywhere from 400-800lbs of food. Members would come hoping to find their favorite items, chit-chat with one another, and share about how their plan to use what they found at The Bread Booth. These little weekly touchpoints grew steadily into neighbors caring for one another in simple yet beautiful ways.

What has changed since you started and how have you overcome the obstacles?

Jean and her group of volunteers working to give food on Monday night.

The pandemic has changed how we share food. At the start of the pandemic, we limited the number of volunteers so we could practice physical distancing. We required volunteers to mask up and wear gloves. We switched from an open shopping model to a drive-through model, where we pre-bagged items and loaded them into open trucks. Determined to not let all these adjustments interrupt the mission of community building, I decided to bring community online. We started encouraging members to share their recipes and thoughts on the foods they received. We challenged the members to think of creative ways to stay engaged with one another and the community.

Prior to the pandemic, my focus was on encouraging generosity among those who came. However, when the pandemic hit, I quickly learned that some of our members began to struggle with food insecurity, several, for the first time. I found myself sourcing for more food. I visited the food bank to get an idea of what the process would be like. I photographed my experience and asked a lot of questions. The Mill Creek food bank was incredibly generous to our group, occasionally sharing food with our group. They have been such a great supporter to some of our members.

Do you give out food at more than one location?

We are presently only distributing once a week to about 100 households. However, occasionally, we have been fortunate enough to partner with other larger organizations to host bigger community-wide gives. Volunteers of America sent a semi full of nonperishables right before Thanksgiving. And, before the New Year, we were able to share a semi full of gleaned foods courtesy of INSP, Farmer Frog, and EastWest Food Rescue.

Presently we are planning to do a few community-wide distributions in March and April with our partners.

Why is it named the Bread Booth?

We started with 6 boxes of bread around a table in our driveway. When we started, I was told we will always have bread to give away. So I wanted everyone coming to know exactly what we were offering.

Jean and Jessica stuffing a trunk with food.

What impact do you feel the Bread Booth has had on the lives of your clients?

It is my hope that we not only provide nourishment but also provide a welcoming space to practice leaning into the community. At the end of the day, relationships are most important. I see the bread booth as being a catalyst, a way to engage with others.

How has doing this changed the way you view the world?

The bread booth has allowed me to enter into the lives of folks I would not have otherwise gotten to know. This has allowed me to celebrate, grieve, lament, and delight in the wide range of experiences. It has kept me engaged with the realities of my neighbors.

How has Covid affected your family and the Bread Booth?

Our family’s patterns did not change much with covid. My husband, an essential worker, continued to go to work. And, we weren’t too impacted by the school changes as our older kids are homeschooled. We have all taken Covid seriously and have followed precautions.

What concrete things can people do to help you?

More than a few people come to visit with Jean.

As a gleaning group, we are always looking for opportunities to rescue leftover foods to share with our group.

What are your future goals with the Bread Booth?

We are a Facebook Group and don’t have 501c3 status. However, I’m presently exploring the possibilities.

It is my desire to form partnerships with like-minded organizations so that we can connect people with food.

What achievements are you most proud of?

I don’t know if I would classify them as “achievement”... but I can share a few things that have amazed me.

1. Having the trust of established organizations like the Volunteers of America, Farmer Frog, INSP, and EastWest Food Rescue, to host large community food distributions.

2. I am constantly amazed at the incredible dedication of our volunteers. It has really given me so much encouragement to continue the work.

3. Fostering relationships and connections are so important at The Bread Booth. Last year, through a series of events, we were able to witness the reconnection of two women who were really good friends in middle school. They had not seen each other for decades. It was so heartwarming to watch them reunite and listen to their stories of one another.

Jean standing in front of the cars waiting in line.

What do you do in your spare time?

Hahaha! What spare time?! I’m a mom of three kids, ages 6 to 16, who are public schooling, hybrid schooling, and homeschooling. Oh, wait! The Bread Booth! That’s what I do in my spare time

What have you learned?

When helping, we must remember to give dignity.

Always thank the helpers.

Food is never just food, it is a means to a relationship.

Encourage and enable folks to be generous.

Spotlight Series | The Bread Booth