Community Bread is a co-operative Outreach program between St John Chrysostom and St Elizabeth Seton parishes in Newmarket, Ontario. This program started in 2003, it looks like it will continue for many years to come.

Our mandate is to provide, on a weekly basis, a very nourishing meal to those in need. We accomplish this through and with the generosity of the parishioners the parish priests and volunteers.

The meal is prepared and cooked in St John's kitchen by teams of volunteers. It is then served to our guests in the hall adjacent to the kitchen.

It's simple to do, it's just not that easy. However; the rewards offered by the accomplishment can only be felt by those who serve and admired by those who support the effort.

Community Bread is a Christian Outreach program set within two Catholic parishes. Some of the volunteers are just Christians who offer their talents to help serve those in need.

Our guests are from all walks of life and in need of the meal. Our service to these people helps us understand there really are no class structures between human beings. There are only the walls that we build through ignorance and prejudice.

A volunteer is the type of person who will actually step into the breach, fill the void and solve the problem. A volunteer gives freely of their talent and their time. Volunteers are the visible part of the structure.

The support given by the donors and others is often overlooked. There are many ways to volunteer and support a worthy cause that are overshadowed by the actual performance of the service.

Community Bread does not advertise to the public about what we do. Once a year we ask the members of the parish communities to support us with a cash donation based on their ability. We also receive support from other parish groups.

What's really "neat" are the other donations that show up on our door step. Money, food and some appliances just come in because there are those who believe in what Community Bread is doing. These are the silent donors who do this because they want to help, but on their own terms.

Community Bread is a real example that life is a circle. Because we give everything we have to those in need, we receive everything we need in order to do what we do from those who have it to give. Don't worry about it, just do it.

We know it is a simple outlook and perhaps a bit naive in others' eyes, but it is true. Community Bread is only a conduit through which passes all of that which is needed to provide a nourishing meal.