Shared Bread
Shared Bread is a ministry of our church that supports individuals living within the Kent School District boundaries.
Our primary focus is on offering financial assistance to prevent evictions and to prevent utilities (including heat and electricity) from being shut off. People are eligible for assistance once every 12 months. We typically assist around 600 individuals per year. We have volunteers on Mondays who schedule interviews for clients to take place the following Wednesday by phone.
Shared Bread Corner
We have been reaching out to our community in need for a long time. Among our clients this month, we have assisted one of our members with paying their rent. Helped a client who was trying to recover from chemotherapy not to be homeless. Additionally, we kept the water on for a large family and children just starting school.
Our reach is expanding to other churches near and far, as the Coeur d’Alene Methodist Church has asked us to assist with their design for starting an emergency assistance program. We also assisted the Auburn Methodist Church with a request for help.
We also extended the boundaries of our program and supplied two elementary children with badly needed new shoes, and worked with another partner, a Kent School family liaison at an elementary school.
If you have read the Seattle Times article on how many of King County Council’s grants for charity work have failed audits. I want to assure you our program may run lean and mean, but we have checks and balances, and we can account for every penny with many eyes overseeing every transaction. We must be the best stewards of the funds you share so generously with your neighbors.
We take that very seriously. You are making a difference in people’s lives.
The Shared Bread Team
Kent UMC reaches $1 million milestone for assistance program
Kent United Methodist Church is celebrating a remarkable milestone! Over the past 25 years, the church's Shared Bread Program has surpassed $1 million in donations, providing vital rent and utility assistance to local families in need. Discover how this community-driven initiative continues to make a difference.