The Bread of Life Mission is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that has been offering emergency shelter and recovery/transitional programs to Seattle's most vulnerable, chronically homeless population since 1939. Our core value is to respect and encourage all who come to the Mission and to restore their dignity and hope. Our mission is to overcome the cycle of homelessness in individuals' lives through a "complete-recovery" model that thrives in a culture and family environment of ... Read More
The Bread of Life Mission is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that has been offering emergency shelter and recovery/transitional programs to Seattle's most vulnerable, chronically homeless population since 1939. Our core value is to respect and encourage all who come to the Mission and to restore their dignity and hope. Our mission is to overcome the cycle of homelessness in individuals' lives through a "complete-recovery" model that thrives in a culture and family environment of volunteers, board members, businesses, and churches. Primary goals include providing essential services of food, shelter, and clothing; treating individuals' long-term, core issues contributing to their homelessness and offering a transition to a life of self-sufficiency; assisting program residents to build life and job skills, improve their education level, and secure employment and housing; and expanding the Mission's presence through outreach programs and partnerships involving individuals, volunteers, organizations, and businesses in our services and programs.
Emergency Care
We meet the immediate physical needs of men suffering from homelessness and addiction. Guests can sign up for a warm bed, a hot meal, a shower, and fresh clothes.
Bread of Life provides a safe and compassionate environment where men (18+ years of age) can eat, relax, shower, and sleep. We have 141 beds (40 for emergency guests, 80 for LifePath residents, and 2 for staff). We provide sleeping mats for 32 additional men in the chapel. We strive to keep a family atmosphere for the men who enter our doors.
Chapel 6:30-7:10 pm (Thursdays) — Chapel attendance is not required
Hot dinner 6:00 pm (Mon-Sat)
Overnight bed sign-up 4:30 pm - 6:15 pm and 8:00-8:15 pm
Mandatory showers
Doors close at 8:30 pm
The Bread of Life Mission feeds, clothes, and shelters homeless individuals because we truly care about their physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual needs. We serve almost 100,000 homeless individuals each year (an average of 10,380 meals per month). We also provided approximately 34,000 emergency shelter and program bed nights and distributed 8,366 clothing items to individuals.
LifePath Recovery Program
LifePath is an up to 12-month treatment and recovery program for men with drug and alcohol addictions and destructive behaviors. This program is available to any man (18+ years of age) at no financial cost to them. The first eight months focus on recovery, and men attend classes, group and individual counseling sessions, Bible study, and daily devotions/chapel. During the last four months -- the transitional phase -- the men focus on recovery while simultaneously searching for employment (e.g., building resumes, learning how to apply, interviewing, etc.) and housing. The program has a work therapy aspect in which men are expected to contribute several hours daily to Mission house duties, such as managing laundry, cooking, helping with intake, and patrolling on night watch. The LifeChange Recovery Program utilizes a body-mind-spirit recovery model. The program uses The Genesis Process materials and several additional books. Our program residents offer individualized case management where they can recognize their needs, identify their goals, create a plan to transition from dependency to self-sufficiency and learn how to access other community resources during recovery.
The Mission serves a handful of holiday feasts: Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve/Day, Easter, and Memorial Day. Our Mega Breakfast and Traditional Homestyle Thanksgiving Feast began when over forty volunteers, two dozen residents, and all staff members came together to cook 25 turkeys and provide more than 500 men and women with Thanksgiving meals. During the Christmas holiday, we hosted a Christmas Eve Dinner, Christmas Day Mega Breakfast, and Christmas Day Dinner. In total, 766 meals were served. More than 350 Christmas gifts (e.g., warm winter coats, blankets, shoes, hats, and scarves) were wrapped by volunteers and distributed on Christmas morning. On Memorial Day, the Mission served over 1,300 meals with the help of about 50 volunteers. For the past seven years, the Mission has received proclamations from Seattle and King County that this is Homeless Veterans Celebration Day, uniquely commemorated by the Mission.
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