Feeding Hope, Filling Hearts

Your generosity keeps the Breadline moving.

Every day at 7 a.m., dedicated volunteers joyfully greet over 300 guests at the Breadline on West 31st Street in New York City. No one walks away empty-handed. It costs $15 to fill a Breadline meal bag. Please consider a recurring gift so you can help the Franciscan Friars keep the Breadline moving.

OUR WORK

Serving Food, Compassion and Dignity Since 1930

Every day at 7 a.m., dedicated volunteers joyfully and enthusiastically greet over 300 guests at the Breadline on West 31st Street in New York City. Welcoming smiles, kind words, dignity, hope and compassion accompany every meal bag packed with hearty sandwiches, cake, juice and coffee.

No one walks away empty-handed. It’s been this way since the Breadline opened in 1930. Caring for the homeless, poor and forgotten. It costs $15 to fill a Breadline meal bag. Please consider a recurring gift so you can help the Franciscan Friars keep the Breadline moving.

FILL A BREADLINE MEAL BAG

It costs $15 to fill a Breadline meal bag. Please consider a recurring gift so you can help the Franciscan Friars keep the Breadline moving.

St. Francis Breadline

A symphony of warm greetings and friendly conversation – the sounds you’d expect to hear every morning at a neighborhood diner, not every day at 7 a.m. at the Breadline on West 31st Street in New York City. Franciscan friars and volunteers cheerfully welcome over 300 homeless and poor with often their only meal of the day: a roll with meat and cheese, a PB&J sandwich, juice, fruit, and a cup of coffee. 

Breadline Food Pantry

For those who have a home but struggle to make ends meet, our Breadline Food Pantry offers supplemental food assistance. Our pantry is open three days a week, with guests able to obtain one day of meals per week, or four days of meals per month. Your donation helps fill one Grocery Bag of meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, produce, dairy and grains.

Breadline Delivers Food Pantry

We provide for shut-ins – the elderly, infirm, and physically challenged living on the margins and unable to come to our Food Pantry. With Breadline Delivers Food Pantry, our volunteers pack Grocery Bags of meat, fresh produce, dairy, grains, and more – and deliver them to their doorstep with smiles and the joyful spirit of St. Francis. 

Breadline Outreach Initiative

The Breadline’s reach extends across New York City. We share our bounty with Franciscan-minded not-for-profits and churches that collectively provide for thousands of struggling and poor New Yorkers700 Sandwich Bags for a program in Harlem, 150 Grocery Bags for a Bronx church, produce for 400 Lower West Side families. That’s just the tip of the iceberg. 

Breadline Franciscan 360

There are other ways to feed people, which is why we opened Franciscan 360 in February 2023. This welcoming and dynamic environment has become a resource for our guests, who enjoy coffee, use a computer station, receive assistance on immigration issues, and are connected to social services and housing opportunities.

St. Francis Breadline

A symphony of warm greetings and friendly conversation – the sounds you’d expect to hear every morning at a neighborhood diner, not every day at 7 a.m. at the Breadline on West 31st Street in New York City. Franciscan friars and volunteers cheerfully welcome over 400 homeless and poor with often their only meal of the day: a roll with meat and cheese, a PB&J sandwich, juice, fruit, and a cup of coffee.

Breadline Food Pantry

For those who have a home but struggle to make ends meet, our Breadline Food Pantry offers supplemental food assistance. Our pantry is open three days a week, with guests able to obtain one day of meals per week, or four days of meals per month. Your donation helps fill one Grocery Bag of meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, produce, dairy and grains.

Breadline Delivers

We provide for shut-ins – the elderly, infirm, and physically challenged living on the margins but are unable to come to our Food Pantry. With Breadline Delivers, our Franciscan-hearted volunteers pack Grocery Bags of meat, fresh produce, dairy, grains, and more – and deliver them to their doorstep with smiles and the joyful spirit of St. Francis. 

Breadline Outreach Initiative

The Breadline’s reach extends across New York City. We share our bounty with Franciscan-minded not-for-profits and churches that collectively provide for thousands of struggling and poor New Yorkers700 Sandwich Bags for a program in Harlem, 150 Grocery Bags for a Bronx church, produce for 400 Lower West Side families. That’s just the tip of the iceberg. 

Breadline Franciscan 360

There are other ways to feed people, which is why we opened Franciscan 360 in February 2023. This welcoming and dynamic environment has become a resource for our guests, who enjoy coffee, use a computer station, receive assistance on immigration issues, and are connected to social services and housing opportunities.

'I’ve been to pantries all around New York
and this is number one. The service and the volunteers are always very nice to you,
they don’t look down at you because you’re
in an unfortunate situation.'
-Eric, Pantry Guest

Shop St. Francis Breadline Mass Cards

Your purchase of St. Francis Breadline Mass Cards helps us feed and comfort those who come to us in need each day. They are one of the most beautiful symbols of prayer and thoughtfulness. 

OUR MISSION

The Franciscan Friars: Franciscan Bread For The Poor

We Franciscan Friars follow the teachings and example of our founder, St. Francis of Assisi. His way was to follow in the footsteps of Jesus by living simply and helping those less fortunate, forgotten, unaccepted, and rejected by our society. Starting with a small group of followers 800 years ago, the Franciscans are now a worldwide movement that is still committed to helping the poor and marginalized. We call our ministry Franciscan Bread for the Poor, and in the tradition of our founder, we provide food to all those who are in need. However, our purpose goes beyond distributing food on our breadline or delivering groceries to seniors. Of all the things that defined St. Francis, joy, compassion, and hope are still the fundamental values we cherish and which are at the heart of what we serve and share with those less fortunate.

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