To Chef Angelo Elia, his South Florida restaurants are not only places to enjoy authentic Italian fare and delicious desserts but also gateways to the community.
Now, at The Bakery Bar in Fort Lauderdale, Elia’s support for the community is literally baked into fresh loaves thanks to the new Bread of Hope campaign.
“The coronavirus has inspired many of us in the world and we feel blessed for all the support we received from our loyal customers and from the community and wanted to give back in our own way here at The Bakery Bar,” Elia says. “We thought of the idea of inspiring messages on bread/sustenance—the most basic fundamentals of human need—to help raise dollars for the three most important causes that we feel are critical to America at this time: hunger, unemployment and mental health.”
Fifteen percent of the proceeds of each Bread of Hope purchase will be donated to Feeding South Florida, Share Our Strength/No Kid Hungry and The Jed Foundation, which seeks to prevent suicide among teenagers and young adults. Baked onto the loaves are the words “peace,” “hope” and “love” (which Elia says are “the mantras we feel are most needed at this time”). Customers can also customize the loaves with names or their own messages.
Elia plans to keep the campaign going for as long as he feels the community needs it. As someone who believes “there is no purpose to life” without community, he’s proud of how the campaign is inspiring customers.
“Our customers have immediately responded positively to the messages and the program,” he says. “One of our customers got chills and came back with tears in her eyes telling us how meaningful the creation of these loaves have been.”
Make a Bread of Hope purchase at The Bakery Bar (2104 E. Oakland Park Blvd. Fort Lauderdale) or online. Orders range from $5-$10 per loaf depending on size and bread type. Loaves can be shipped to anywhere in Broward County for an additional delivery fee.
