SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Bread & Broth has fed the food-insecure of South Lake Tahoe over the past 36 years.  Food outreach programs include hot meals on Mondays and Fridays, and several programs serving children at local Lake Tahoe Unified School District sites, as well as children ages 18 months to five years of age at eight local childcare facilities. Overall, nearly 500 individuals and children are the recipients of these food services each week.

Bread & Broth (B&B) seeks private contributions, grants from local organizations, and business donations to help with the purchase of food to support its three food outreach programs.  However, much of the food distributed by Bread & Broth comes from the very generous donations provided by businesses, grocery stores, and restaurants throughout the community.  Each Monday and Friday, B&B volunteers pick up these foods across town and deliver them for distribution at the two hot meals provided each week.  

Twice a week, Monday Meal and Second Serving receive food donations from Raley’s at the Y, Safeway, Whole Foods, Insomnia Cookies, Tahoe Bagel, and McDonald’s -foods such as bread, desserts, cookies, cakes, salads, pizza and meat that are distributed to dinner guests to sustain them during the week.  Donations from Sugar Pine Bakery, Yellow Submarine Sandwich Shop,  and Smart & Final are picked up once a week.  This past year, Beach Retreat Resort made a Monday Meal meat donation while Overland Meats donated fish, turkeys, and chickens on two occasions.    Feed Tahoe (a key initiative of the Marcella Foundation ) delivered surplus, rescued food to the B & B Food Coordination team.  During the summer, the Farmer’s Market at the American Legion provides leftover fresh fruit and vegetables each week.  In addition, Lake Tahoe AleWorx donated 35 pizzas each week during the month of December for Monday Meal dinner guests. 

Soup donations are received each Friday to serve at Second Serving.  Restaurants and casinos participating over the past year include: Bally’s Lake Tahoe, and Harrah’s/Caesars Casino gave monthly;  Golden Nugget Lake Tahoe Hotel & Casino provided soup every other month; and Chicken In A Barrel BBQ, Cold Water Brewery & Grill,  Edgewood Resort, Freshies Restaurant, MacDuff’s Public House, Primo’s Italian Bistro, Azul’s Latin Kitchen, Riva Grill, and Sonney’s BBQ  Shack Bar & Grill donated 1-4 times per year.

The B&B 4 Kids program benefits from food donations from Smart & Final on a regular basis.  Heavenly Mountain Resort regularly provides nutrition bars for distribution at local schools through the “School Healthy Snack” Program.  Several businesses and organizations have sponsored food drives to collect kid-friendly, nutritious food.  These groups include the Tahoe Beach Club “Kid Zone”, Westside Coffee & Chai, Marriott Grand Residence Club, SLT High School and the Kiwanis “K” Club, Barton Hospice, The Getaway Cafe, Smart & Final, Whole Foods and Heavenly Mountain Resort.  Another contribution comes from Grocery Outlet who allows B&B 4 Kids to use their parking lot three times annually to allow the organization to host its “Cram-A-Cruise/Hearse/Fire Truck” events.  

Bread & Broth also enjoys the generosity of stores and businesses closing temporarily or for the season.  Sierra at Tahoe, Heavenly Mountain Resort, and Kirkwood Mountain Resort all donated food during 2025.   Caples Lake Resort donates food twice this year as they close for the season.  

In addition, several businesses provide other donations and services to support Bread & Broth:  Raley’s at the Y sharpened 25 knives for free for the Monday Meal and Second Serving Cooks, disposable aprons from the Tahoe Chamber were donated, and the National Cart Company West donated three industrial carts for the B&B 4 Kids program. The Humane Society regularly provides cat and dog food for guests to take home for their pets.

B&B could not serve the food-insecure of our community without the support of these many local organizations, businesses and restaurants.  As Roberta Strachan, Bread & Broth’s food coordinator chairperson shares, “It takes a village, and in the case of South Lake Tahoe,  it takes the whole city and the generosity of many to feed those facing food insecurity in our community. We are so grateful to those who support this important mission.”

For more information on how you or your business can partner with Bread & Broth, please visit their website at breadandbroth.org.

-Bread & Broth