Utah bakery donated 120K free bread rolls during COVID-19 pandemic

SOUTH JORDAN – Last year, during the first week of the COVID-19 shutdown and following an earthquake in the Salt Lake Valley, local baker Steve Borg decided he wanted to help give back to a struggling community.

So he created the Free Bread Project. Anyone entering Schmidt’s Pastry Cottage would receive two loaves of bread free of charge – one for herself and one to give to a neighbor. The idea was to encourage customers to check on their neighbors who might be confined to their homes during the pandemic.

“It was to help people who are housebound and, you know, can’t go out and have their neighbors checked,” he explained.

Borg didn’t know how long the project would last, but 365 days later, it’s still ongoing. The bakery has since distributed over 120,000 free breads.

“We just kept doing it. And as we continued we know that probably more and more people didn’t need bread, but I felt like we were still in a pandemic, ”Borg said. “My clients kept me in business for 45 years and I felt, as long as I could do it, that I was going to give it back and do it for as long as I could until it was all over.

At 68, Borg said he couldn’t do many hands-on service projects, especially during a pandemic. Giving the free breads was his way of serving his community, he said. He hopes others will be inspired to find creative ways to give back to their communities.

“If everyone helps and gives back, it helps us get through this long, long year,” he said.

It has been a difficult year for business at the bakery, considering events such as office parties or weddings that typically attract customers. The bakery was able to stay open and relied on its loyal customers throughout the pandemic to stay afloat, Borg said.

If even a handful of families had been helped during that time, Borg said the whole free bread project would have been worth it.

Going forward, Borg said he hopes to keep the program going for as long as needed and as long as he can afford it.

“We felt like it gave a little bit of happiness, a little good in life,” he said.

Correction: A previous version stated that Schmidt’s Pastry Cottage is located in western Jordan. The bakery actually has two locations: one in southern Jordan and one in Taylorsville.

Related stories