The Bread Project

Looking for a new recipe?
Free. Hands-on. Life-changing?

At The Bread Project, we believe everyone deserves a real chance at meaningful work. That’s why our 5-week Food Prep & Baking Job Training & Placement Program teaches both technical skills in the kitchen and the soft skills needed outside it. It's the recipe for a real pathway to employment.

Whether you’re just starting out or starting over, we’re here to help you succeed.

New group starts June 8 and applications are open!
It takes just 5 minutes!

Go to www.breadproject.org to learn more.

Learning by doing.

Our program participants practice to build real skills they can use on the job. It takes focus, patience, and repetition—but each step brings more confidence.

Through hands-on training, they’re preparing for work in bakeries and kitchens across the Bay Area.

Skill building. Job readiness. New opportunities.

Learn more about opportunities at The Bread Project at our website: www.breadproject.org

Behind every program participant, food entrepreneur, and community meal is a team dedicated to helping Bay Area residents thrive. Meet Usha, Lynn, Chef Alain, Rebecca, and Steven, the staff of The Bread Project.

They are deeply committed to helping our program participants, being a resource to our food entrepreneur incubators, and a committed partner to other organizations supporting food insecurity.

Visit www.breadproject.org/about-us to learn more.

The Bread Project provides free, five-week job training and placement in food prep and baking for Bay Area residents. 🥣✨

Our 150-hour program is designed for low- to no-income individuals facing barriers to employment, including those who are justice-impacted, refugees, or immigrants. We provide the technical and professional skills needed to secure a living-wage job.

What you will learn:
🧑‍🍳 Kitchen Skills: Food prep and baking in a commercial kitchen.
👔 Job Skills: Workplace communication, readiness, and how to succeed on the job.

The Details:
📅 Schedule: Monday – Friday, 9 AM – 3:30 PM.
📍Berkeley
👥 Class Size: 10–14 participants for hands-on instruction.
💰 Cost: 100% Free for eligible residents.

This is your chance to build a new career.

​Next cohort starts March 23 and again on April 29. Must be 18+ to apply.

​🔗 See more information and apply at: www.breadproject.org

Mark your calendars! The Bread Project's annual gala is making its way home to East Bay this year, taking place at the breathtaking .

Our theme this year, RISE, is a deliberate call to action. In these divisive times, we stand in solidarity with those fighting for inclusivity. For 26 years, we've been dedicated to creating pathways to living-wage jobs.

We offer free training to anyone (18+) from low- to no-income backgrounds, including justice-impacted individuals, refugees, immigrants, and those struggling with housing insecurity or disability.

This special evening is a celebration of our community and stories of perseverance, but it's also a crucial fundraiser to support our free baking and food prep training, as well as California ServSafe Food Handler certification.

Together, we RISE. 🙌🏻

You could be the one baking this cake (📷 see photo).
Join our March 23 group.
Apply now on our website (www.breadproject.org)

Our training program will give you the skills you need to succeed and prepare you to work in professional kitchens and bakeries.

You will learn:
🥧Baking
👩🏻‍🍳Cooking techniques such as roasting and braising
🥘Culinary math
🍞Safe food handling practices

That's not all! We help you prepare for the job—and the workplace—too! Things like resume writing, interviewing, goal setting and more!

This program is about more than baking and food prep.
It’s about building a future.

Today, we honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.—not only in words, but in action. Every day, The Bread Project’s staff, partners, and community work to promote equity, belonging, fresh starts, and economic freedom across the East Bay and Greater Bay Area.

On January 1, 1963, Dr. King spoke in Oakland at a celebration marking the centennial of the Emancipation Proclamation. In that address, he shared ideas that would later shape his I Have a Dream message and announced support for a nationwide selective-buying campaign to boycott discriminatory companies. This strategy was part of early efforts of Operation Breadbasket, which challenged hiring discrimination in industries including the baking and food sector and encouraged communities to leverage their economic power for fair employment. By 1967, Breadbasket had negotiated jobs bringing $25 million a year in new income - empowering individuals, their families, and the community.

As a social enterprise, The Bread Project carries forward this spirit. Every day, we prepare people for sustainable, living-wage jobs with organizations that stand for equity, justice, and community. In doing so, we honor Dr. King’s vision of economic inclusion and dignity for all.

Wishing our current cohort, former graduates, our Food Entrepreneurs, staff, Board, community partners, and donors a very happy New Year. Thank you for making 2025 amazing.

Here's to 2026!

We’re halfway to a $50,000 impact.

Thanks to our community, $12,500 has already been raised—which puts us halfway to unlocking a $25,000 board match, for a total impact of $50,000.

This funding supports our 5-week Baking & Food Prep Job Training & Placement Program, which is free for low- to no-income Bay Area residents facing barriers to employment, including those who are justice-impacted, refugees, and immigrants.

Every dollar donated before December 31 is still matched dollar-for-dollar.

If you’ve been meaning to support this work—or are looking for a meaningful way to close out the year—this is a moment where your contribution truly doubles.

Link in Bio

Showing up. Practicing. Becoming.

Every day in our kitchen is a step toward stability, living wages, and a fresh start.

At The Bread Project, we are deeply grateful for the opportunity to witness transformation in just five weeks. We’re proud to be part of the Bay Area community and look forward to continuing to serve individuals facing barriers to employment. Here’s to another 25 years—standing side by side with you.

A typical day at The Bread Project: participants arriving, tying aprons, reviewing recipes, and stepping into a professional kitchen that was once out of reach.

Confidence builds here — one skill, one repetition, one pastry at a time.

Your December gift supports Bay Area residents who are ready for a fresh start, paving the way to living-wage jobs.

Every donation now to December 31 is matched dollar-for-dollar up to $25,000 during our Giving Challenge. No gift is too small.

📌 Link in bio to give.