Every year in January, I prepare a Breakfast Program Annual Report to be shared at the St. Andrew’s annual meeting. Copies of the report were distributed to St. Andrew’s parishioners and made available to Breakfast volunteers at the volunteer check-in table. If you haven’t seen the annual report, you can read excerpts below. For a copy of the full report with photos and financials, the link is here.

Dear Friends,

2025 was another exciting year of growth for the Breakfast Program, but it was not without its challenges. Several federal food programs were suspended or cut which impacted the variety of food available to us from Food Gatherers. Despite these challenges, we were able to provide a hot, nutritious meal for our guests every single day. I am proud of all that our volunteers and donors accomplished in this difficult year, and I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to lead the Breakfast Program. 

We are grateful for our partnership with Food Gatherers; we could not offer such a wide variety of nutritious food without their weekly food donations and annual grant. While there were some changes in available inventory this year, the Breakfast Program offered an expanded menu every morning. We adjusted some of our recipes to stretch the items that are in shorter supply and added recipes that include alternative protein sources such as quinoa, lentils and beans. We are planning ahead and ordering larger quantities of frozen and nonperishable foods to tide us over during times when those items are unavailable. When necessary, we purchased additional food to fill in the gaps. Fortunately, Food Gatherers continues to provide weekly fresh produce. Citrus fruit, apples and pears are on the menu regularly as are fresh roasted or raw vegetables.

We had a very successful fundraising year. Our budget for 2025 was approximately $213,000. We planned to raise $165,000 from fundraising and to take the remaining $48,000 from the Program’s reserves. The Breakfast Program was blessed to receive grants from the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan, the Kiwanis Club of Ann Arbor Foundation and the Mars Foundation as well as a very generous donation from the University of Michigan. Those funds, along with the gifts from our many individual and corporate donors brought in over $300,000! Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we were able to cover all of our 2025 expenses without taking any funds from reserves. In addition, we replaced one of our commercial freezers when it failed, purchased a floor scrubbing machine, and set aside a small fund to upgrade the kitchen and replace some of our older commercial appliances. 

I am deeply grateful for all those who work to support the Breakfast Program: the St. Andrew’s staff, our many volunteers, our donors, and all of the St. Andrew’s parishioners. Your hard work, your financial support and your prayers are making a difference in the lives of the most vulnerable in our community.

Thank you,

Sue Nishi, Breakfast Director

breakfast@standrewsaa.org

734-664-0518 ext. 206

How Do I Volunteer?

Current Volunteers: You can sign up for all volunteer shifts on SignUpGenius.

New Volunteers: We are always happy to welcome new members to the team! If you have never volunteered at the Breakfast before and would like to get involved, please email our volunteer coordinator at standrewsbreakfast@gmail.com. She will send you some general information and the links to the SignUpGenius pages. 

Connect with The Breakfast

If you would like to learn more about the Breakfast Program, please visit breakfastatstandrews.org; email Sue at breakfast@standrewsaa.org; or follow us on Instagram @thebreakfastprogram!

Jenny Alkema

Jenny has been a Breakfast Program supporter for over a decade and a volunteer for 3 years. On Wednesday mornings, you will find her in the Parish Hall visiting with guests and keeping the serving tables clean and stocked. She has worked in mental health for many years, and her professional experience makes her a real asset in our dining room.

Many of our guests are dealing with mental health challenges, and Jenny is able to manage difficult behaviors while treating our guests with dignity and respect. Jenny is also a talented seamstress and often adds buttons, fixes zippers and mends clothing for our guests. Thank you, Jenny, for sharing your time and talents with the Breakfast Program!

University of Michigan

College of Pharmacy

We are delighted to share that we have partnered with the University of Michigan’s College of Pharmacy to offer blood pressure and blood sugar screenings for our breakfast guests. They first visited us on January 27 along with representatives from Meridian who spoke with guests about healthcare resources and diabetes care. Both teams brought thoughtful gifts for our guests including gloves, handwarmers, socks, underwear, bandages and antibacterial wipes.

We are looking forward to offering health screenings every month as well as vaccine clinics later in the year. Thank you, College of Pharmacy, for all you do for the community!

The Breakfast at St. Andrew's

306 N. Division St., Ann Arbor, MI 48104

Breakfast is served 7:30-8:30 am,

7 days a week, 365 days a year

breakfastatstandrews.org

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