Photo Gallery: Breaking Bread, Building Hope
09-26-2025On September 18th, we gathered under the tent at Tedesco Country Club for Breaking Bread, Building Hope — a powerful evening in support of community meals and Lifebridge North Shore’s mission to end hunger and build pathways to stability.
We are thrilled to announce that, thanks to our guests’ incredible generosity, over $190,000 was raised in honor of community meals! These funds will directly support our efforts to bring nourishment, dignity, and hope to our most vulnerable neighbors. Ending hunger is the first step toward recovery and long-term stability.
In his opening remarks, Lifebridge Pres. Jason Etheridge explained Lifebridge’s community meals and why stopping hunger is the foundation to anyone’s path toward stability.
“We are not a food pantry,” Etheridge stated. “Many of our clients don’t have the resources to take home a box of pasta or fresh vegetables and prepare a meal. What we provide are meals cooked with care, served with dignity, and meant to nourish both body and soul. And we could not do this work without our community. From local restaurants and grocery stores who donate ingredients, to church groups who cook and serve meals, to our kitchen staff who creatively work with whatever they have to feed hundreds of people each week — it literally takes a village.”
Etheridge then introduced featured speaker Sallena Williams, Lifebridge Kitchen Assistant and rising Kitchen Manager. She shared her experience as a long-time staff member working at River House in Beverly and in the kitchen at Lifebridge Main Campus in Salem, Massachusetts. She also described working with the night’s honoree Karen Andrew, who has worked at Lifebridge for 15 years: “It’s people like Karen who takes pride in, and remains committed to, not just serving a meal to every single person who comes in, but serving the very best meal she can make. She makes sure to have one of us check her nose and teeth to ensure her smile is perfect as she greets each person coming in to be fed that day.”
Williams concluded by explaining why people should support Lifebridge. “It’s the VP who will stop what he’s doing to help locate one of our more vulnerable clients who is missing and in possible danger. It’s our program directors, clinicians, and case managers that go above and beyond, sometimes giving their personal time and resources because they genuinely care about positively impacting the community they serve. Supporting Lifebridge means not only providing safety and stability for right now, but instilling hope for a brighter future.”
An extraordinary Fund-A-Need followed, hosted by Al Tempkin and raising $100,000. The paddle raising event concluded with a surprise raffle item for anyone who donated $100.
Honoring Karen Andrew, Kitchen Manager
To culminate the event, Lifebridge honored Karen Andrew, our Kitchen Manager with official proclamations from the offices of Congressman Seth Moulton, Senators Bruce Tarr and Joan Lovely, and Mayor Dominic Pangallo, all recognizing her tireless work. In her thank you speech, Andrew said, “This is our community and we could not do any of this with out all of you. I really can’t thank you all enough for your support over the years. It’s been a joy to be apart of this wonderful organization.”
Thank you to everyone who attended, donated, and helped make this evening memorable. Your support ensures that community meals are available for all — today, tomorrow, and beyond.
Gallery
Photography donated in-kind by Eventide Photography. Click on the thumbnails below for the full photo.
You Can Still Help Vulnerable People on the North Shore
If you want to channel your support into activities beyond more than monetary contributions, there are several actions you can take to help progress Lifebridge’s work.
- #1 Advocate – Help us end hunger on the North Shore by advocating through your local governments, towns, networks, and social circles. Tell your elected leaders, friends, and neighbors that Lifebridge is more than a shelter: we feed housed and unhoused people so they can begin their journey to recovery, safety, and stability.
- #2 Donate – Monetary gifts are certainly essential for our work to continue, but gifts of goods and services are also impactful. Essentials like medical supplies, socks and underwear, hygiene products, and furniture go directly to those who need it, or are sold at our thrift store to benefit our shelters and day centers.
- #3 Connect – Say hello and acknowledge people. Human connection, if only in a passing moment, can have a big impact.
- #4 Volunteer/Visit – If you want to explore more ways to connect with Lifebridge on a deeper level through volunteering – we welcome individuals and groups – and have a variety of opportunities at our shelters and stores, in our kitchen, and in our governance and committee work. We’re also happy to have you visit one of our shelters to get a better understanding of our day-to-day work.