Breadsmith donates loaves to Campus Cupboard

Since the fall 2023 semester, Augustana students have been able to enjoy bread from Breadsmith every Friday through the bakery’s donations to the Campus Cupboard. 

Breadsmith was founded in 1997 and specializes in artisan breads and pastries. The Campus Cupboard’s partnership is with the bakery’s location at 33rd Street and Duluth Avenue. 

Nathan McQuinn, director of Student Engagement, arranged the partnership and has also been involved in the deliveries of the donations.

McQuinn said he was aware of a similar partnership through an acquaintance at University of Sioux Falls. 

“[Breadsmith] had an available day,” McQuinn said. “It’s every Thursday night that I walk over and pick up what they have left from the day.”

Once McQuinn collects the donations, he bags and leaves them at the Campus Cupboard on Friday morning.

“Some weeks there’s a lot [of bread], and some weeks there’s not as much,” McQuinn said. “It depends on what they haven’t sold.”

Founded in 2019, the Campus Cupboard provides nonperishable food and hygiene products to all students who need it. 

“Sometimes I worry that students may think that the Campus Cupboard is not meant for them because they don't fit a specific image of what someone who is facing food insecurity looks like,” SALT President Jessica Dull, who manages the Campus Cupboard at Our Savior’s Lutheran, said. “The Campus Cupboard truly is for any student who may be facing any type of situation.”

Not only do the donations from Breadsmith help feed those on campus, they help reduce food waste and, according to McQuinn, allow students to try different kinds of bread they might not have tasted otherwise.

“They get to try something new,” McQuinn said. “[Students] should know that [Breadsmith] is giving us product and that they’re free to take it.”

Some students have developed their own weekly traditions around the donations.

“I think my favorite part was just how convenient it was,” junior Colleen Lawrence said. “You got the whole loaf in the packaging and all, and some of the loaves were even pre-sliced. It’s really nice for being a broke college student.”

Lawrence said she and her friend, sophomore Em Powers, regularly partake in the deliveries.

“[We] would go once a week after working out or going on a walk and have a bread and butter moment at the tables on student street,” Lawrence said.

McQuinn is currently looking for volunteers to help him make the weekly deliveries. McQuinn said increased volunteers will help him keep the partnership with Breadsmith going into future years. 

McQuinn said he has been looking into similar partnerships with other local businesses, but so far, Breadsmith is the only regular donor to Augustana’s Campus Cupboard. 

“I’ve been looking into best practice at other colleges with similar programs,” McQuinn said.

Dull said she hopes similar partnerships will help strengthen the relationship between Augustana and the Sioux Falls community.

“I am hoping that businesses like Breadsmith will continue to invest their energy and resources into the campus community to support students,” Dull said. “This will not only help to create a connection between Augustana and the larger Sioux Falls area, but it will also provide students with opportunities to network and expand their potential future vocations.”