Before traveling to Kinshasa, Theresa’s House donors helped us purchase several items for the bakery and restaurant, Daily Bread. These items—such as bread pans, baking utensils, and serving plates—are difficult to find in Africa. It was quite a job to get all of these supplies packed and transported to the bakery!
Many people also donated money to help us buy supplies for the bakery once we arrived, including a stand mixer, a stainless steel table, a metal shelf, a new freezer, and other miscellaneous tools.
Daily Bread is cut into the corner of the Theresa’s House compound, allowing guests to enter through the street so that the orphanage remains secure. As you enter the bakery, there is a display case filled with baked goods. During our trip, we enjoyed freshly baked French bread, donuts, cakes, and croissants. The restaurant also sells bottles of soda and serves several main meal specials each day.
Inside the bakery, we have shelves with Bibles, devotionals, English dictionaries, and other books available for customers to read while they are waiting for their food. There is also a patio if customers prefer to sit outside.
The kitchen is located in a walk-out basement. The kitchen is clean and organized and the new stove we purchased last year is still functioning well. The girls at Theresa’s House have a work schedule set up and two girls help in the kitchen at a time, learning new cooking and baking skills. The bakery also purchases eggs from the chicken coop in the orphanage and, in turn, the orphanage is able to buy bread back from the bakery.
While we were there, we also interviewed potential new employees and had them bake and cook for us. We are happy to announce that we have hired a new baker, cook, cashier, and waitress.
Daily Bread has definitely been a blessing to Theresa’s House and the community in Kinshasa!
