Our Fall 2015 edition of The Bread!

1. Restoring Dignity and HOPE
Bread of Life’s
Bold Beginnings:
The Untold Story
PAGE 2
Spotlight Volunteer
Chelsea Peck
New Volunteer Coordinator
PAGE 3
Events
Banquet of HOPE
Update
PAGE 4
FALL 2015 | 4TH QUARTER

2. 2
Being located in Pioneer Square, Bread of Life Mission
occupies one of the oldest, most charming corners of Seattle.
Our neighborhood has seen its share of drastic change over
the years; in fact, some of you may be aware that our current
building was once the site of a brothel. The name ‘Matilda
Winehill’ that is permanently painted high above our mission
door is evidently a tribute to a woman from the mission’s former
life, according to an L.A. Times quote by Tym Goodwin,
a mission director of years past. While this is certainly an
unexpected detail about our building’s past, even this does not
compare to our own bold and inspirational history as a mission.
A Woman’s Touch
Bread of Life’s beginnings date back to 1939, ten years into
the devastation of the Great Depression. Though the mission
has always been a men’s shelter, it was actually founded by
a woman – Mrs. Mavel Sherman. This is a striking concept,
especially when taking into consideration that women rarely
occupied leadership positions of any kind during this era.
Certainly the idea of beginning a brand new mission to serve
the jobless, homeless male population of downtown Seattle
must have been intimidating to a woman of that day. But God
guided the growth of the mission through her inspiring efforts.
Little else is known about Mavel, except that she suffered from
health issues that forced her to appoint a new director later that
same year: Miss Jennie Conrad – another woman.
Jennie Conrad was a remarkable person. Born in Holland, she
was saved in a Salvation Army overseas and devoted years of
her life to serving this same organization in various locations
throughout the Unites States. Once she assumed her position at
Bread of Life, she held onto it for 35 faithful and fruitful years. In
the early days of her service, she fell in love with a recovered
alcoholic, Reverend Jack O’Hara, who had come to the mission
seeking assistance. They were married in 1943, and the two
were equally, unreservedly committed to the mission during their
life together.
Bread of Life’s
Bold Beginnings:
The Untold Story
– By Victoria Welker, August 10, 2015
All-Inclusive Accommodation
The prominence of Mavel and Jennie’s positions in leadership is
not the only progressive aspect of our past. In looking back on our
mission photos that span our seven decades of history expansively,
another key observation is apparent: images of chapel services and
events dating as far back as the 1950s capture racially integrated
groups of homeless men, which was virtually unheard of at the time,
locally and nationally.
A 2013 article in Seattle Magazine, written by Knute Berger, states
that “For most of the 20th century, [Seattle] was restricted and
segregated, if not literally gated.” The city’s resistance to change
lasted well into the ‘60s, when Bread of Life had already been
welcoming it for years. The article also reads, “In 1964, Seattle
voters soundly defeated an ‘open housing’ ordinance that would
have let anyone live anywhere. It lost by more than 2-to-1. The city
was segregated, and a large majority wanted it that way.”
We are proud of our mission’s courageous position on integration in
its early years, not only because it challenged the norm established
by the majority of our city, but also because it contrasted many
other nationwide missions and government public housing facilities
at the time. In the ‘30s, under President FDR’s New Deal program
to address homelessness, the government utilized many facilities for
emergency shelters as part of Federal Transient Services, according
to the Encyclopedia of Homelessness, Volume 1. Also according
to the encyclopedia, “Some exceptions aside, segregation on the
basis of gender, household (single versus family) and race was
generally the rule in such facilities.”
Looking Forward
The mission’s beginnings directly dictate our current identity as
an organization. Because of our early directors’ devotion to hard
work and to serving the Father despite social risks, we are as
driven as ever today to share Christ with our community and assist
our neighbors with love. Part of our vision for doing so includes
acquiring a separate property for our LifeChange Program members
and Resident Volunteers, as well as our staff. We have recently
come one step closer to achieving this goal by moving our staff to
a secure office within close proximity to the mission building, but
allocating an entire campus for program members and staff would
allow us to dedicate our current building wholly to our guests,
making it a 24-hour shelter.

3. 97 S. Main Street
Seattle, WA
206-682-3579
breadoflifemission.org
3
VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT
My name is Chelsea and my husband and I have been
volunteering at Bread of Life Mission for nearly five
years, leading worship in chapel and serving dinner
once a month. In April of this year, I heard about the
Volunteer Coordinator job opening and jumped at the
chance to become more involved. What a blessing it is
to be a part of the Bread of Life community!
Chelsea Peck
– New Volunteer Coordinator
LIFECHANGE PROGRAM
We are blessed with a vast array of uses for our building — from
devotionals and work therapy with our program members to
providing mail services, hot meals, lockers, clothing distribution,
health referral resources and chapels for our guests — that we
must currently limit the operation of our day and overnight shelter
to designated timeslots to accommodate all of our other services.
While we are thankful for how God is working through our current
arrangement, we cannot help but believe that we would be
better able to extend dignity and respect to our guests if we could
avoid having them leave our mission in the morning, carrying all
of their burdensome belongings with them and trying to evade
the elements, only to have them return later that same day. Even
for our guests that work during the day, a 24-hour mission could
provide a stronger sense of acceptance and freedom for them to
come and go as desired.
With your prayers and your support, we can see this vital part of
our vision come to fruition. Please join us in our effort to restore the
hope and dignity to our homeless guests that they so deserve.
References:
Berger, Knute. “Seattle’s Ugly Past: Segregation in Our Neighborhoods.”
Seattle Magazine 1 Mar. 2013. Web. http://www.seattlemag.com/
article/seattles-ugly-past-segregation-our-neighborhoods.
Chase, Lee. History of the Bread of Life Mission. 1990. A Mission with a
Heart - A Gospel of Love Where God Reigns Supreme. Seattle.
Levinson, David. Encyclopedia of Homelessness. Vol. 1. Thousand Oaks,
CA: Sage Publications, 2004. Print. Pages 183, 501.
Meyerowitz, Joanne J. Not June Cleaver: Women and Gender in Postwar
America, 1945-1960. Philadelphia: Temple UP, 1994. Print. Page 111.
Morrison, Patt. “Original ‘Skid Road’ : Homeless Add a Sad Note to
Gentrified Seattle Area.” Los Angeles Times [Los Angeles] 24 Mar. 1987:
1-2. Web. 7 Aug. 2015. <http://articles.latimes.com/1987-03-24/
news/mn-299_1_skid-row/2>.
“November 19th, 2013 is when I came into the LifeChange Program.
I was confused, didn’t know where my life was going…crazy. My life
was out of control when I interviewed for a chance to change from the
monster I had become…I would drink and drug my sorrows. But more
than anything, I didn’t love myself.
Two months into the program, I started to see why I was not farther
along in my life than I should have been. It was my own selfish ways
that put my attention on the wrong things, but I realized that someone
or something had to change – that person was me. The Mission gave
me the opportunity to talk about my past, present, and future. Doing
so gave me a fresh start for growth and development, to obtain a new
way of life, to set myself apart from the past mental problems. Before
you can go forward, you have to correct your past mistakes.”
Scott – 2014 LifeChange Graduate
On October 31st
, 2015 Scott transitioned out of the Mission into safe and secure housing. We are very proud of him!

4. 97 S. Main Street
Seattle, WA
206-682-3579
breadoflifemission.org
EVENTS
STAY CONNECTED
Become a fan on Facebook:
facebook.com/SeattleBOLM
Check out our photos on Instagram:
@breadoflifemissionseattle
Follow us on Twitter:
@SeattleMission
CURRENT NEEDS
4
Banquet of HOPE - Update
On October 3rd, Bread of Life Mission hosted
its annual fundraiser, the Banquet of Hope! We
commemorated 76 years of restoring dignity
and hope to Seattle’s homeless. Within the
eye-catching and classy Museum of Flight,
guests were served a delicious three-course
dinner amidst live jazz music, heard from a
reputable keynote speaker, mingled with 135
attendees, and heard testimonies from our
very own LifeChange Program men. It was a
successful and delightful evening, bringing in
over $64,000 in donations. Thank you to all
that participated in our 2015 Banquet of Hope!
We are in need of the following items for Christmas gifts. Please note
that our donation desk is only open Monday through Friday from
9:30am - 3:00pm. Depending on the size and type of the donation
we can sometimes arrange for pick-up.
Kitchen Items
• Paper napkins
• Paper drinking cups
• Paper plates
• Plastic knives, forks, & spoons
Clothing
• Coats & sweaters
• Undergarments including socks and underwear
• Knit hats & gloves
• Shoes including sneakers, rain boots, and work boots
Hygiene Items
• Deodorant
• Toothpaste & toothbrushes
• Shaving cream & Disposable razors
• Shampoo & body wash
Other Items
• Blankets & comforters
• Sleeping bags
• Twin sheets
• Bath towels
Be part of what Bread of Life is doing for
the homeless of Seattle
• $48 provides 25 meals
• $150 provides 10 nights of shelter
• $1,500 sponsors a LifeChange
student for a month
Donate by mail with enclosed envelope
or give online at: breadoflifemission.org