SOUTH JORDAN – Last year, in the first week of COVID-19’s 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. Everyone who entered Schmidt’s Pastry Cottage was given two free loaves of bread – one for themselves and one for the neighbor. The idea was to encourage customers to check on their neighbors who could be at home during the pandemic.
“It was to help people who are housebound and, you know, couldn’t get out and have their neighbors checked,” he explained.
Borg wasn’t sure how long the project would take, but 365 days later, things are still going well. The bakery has since given away more than 120,000 free loaves of bread.
“We just kept doing it. And as we went on, we know that probably more and more people didn’t need the bread, but I felt like we were still in a pandemic,” said Borg. “My clients kept me in business for 45 years and I felt like as long as I could, I would give something back and just do it for as long as I could until this is all over.”
At the age of 68, Borg said he wouldn’t be able to do many practical service projects, especially during a pandemic. Giving away the free loaves was his way of serving his community, he said. He hopes others will be inspired to find creative ways to give back in their communities.
“If everyone helps and gives back, it will help us through this long, long year,” he said.
It was a difficult year for bakery business as events such as office parties or weddings that typically bring in customers didn’t get through. The bakery was able to stay open and relied on its loyal customers during the pandemic to keep it afloat, Borg said.
If only a handful of families had been served during this time, Borg said the whole free bread project would have been worth it.
Going forward, Borg said he hopes to continue the program for as long as it is needed and as long as he can afford it.
“We felt like this gave a little bit of happiness, a little bit of good in life,” he said.
Correction: An earlier version said Schmidt’s Pastry Cottage is located in West Jordan. The bakery actually has two locations: one in South Jordan and one in Taylorsville.