Bread And Roses

With musicians playing trombones, trumpets, flugel horns, cornets, euphoniums, tubas and french horns, it’s a rare thing to hear a live 14-piece brass band.   When the concert is a Musical Bridges tribute by the Golden Gate Brass Band for the 75th Anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge (1937-2012), it is truly a “once in a blue moon” opportunity.  

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Today, April 30, 2012, our founder Mimi Fariña would have been 67-years-old.  When she died of cancer in 2001, she was way too young to leave us.  Mimi’s great gift is the strong legacy she left at Bread & Roses.

On this anniversary of her birthday, we appreciate all who continue to support our mission of hope and healing through live music. If you would like to join the Mimi Fariña Founder's Circle, please make a donation in her honor today.

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The Board and Staff of Bread & Roses would like to thank all of the performers, volunteers, donors and sponsors who participated in our March 22 benefit concert, "Take Heart." We couldn't have done it without your support. And what a night it was, complete with dinner, music and dancing! The following is a slideshow of photos taken at the event:

All photos by Ken Friedman, courtesy of Bread & Roses.

If you attended the event, please leave a comment below and let us know your thoughts.

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In Singing Lessons: A Memoir of Love, Loss, Hope and Healing  (c. 1998 p. 174) Judy Collins recalls looking for songs for an album project in 1976.

  “After the death of her husband, Dick Fariña, Mimi Fariña, Joan Baez’s younger sister, had started a nonprofit organization in San Francisco called Bread & Roses, to provide free entertainment for people in homes, jails and hospitals in the Bay Area.  She wrote the “Bread and Roses” melody to a poem by James Oppenheim and I recorded it, using a choir of voices in a church in New York.”  

In her liner notes for the album, also titled Bread & Roses Judy said:  “Songs come from many places, unexpectedly, amazingly.”  She relayed how Mimi had sent her a copy of the “Bread and Roses” poem. She thought it so beautiful that she asked her to set it to music.  Her sister Holly Ann then designed a Bread and Roses tapestry piece featuring a single rose and wove it using hand-dyed yarns which was then used as the art for the inside album cover.      

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Photographer Peter Merts recently posted a blog about his volunteer work for Bread & Roses on Photo Philanthropy’s website www.photophilanthropy.org “Notes From the Field: Peter Merts on Working with Bread & Roses.”

We are so grateful that Peter Merts has been actively documenting our work for the past ten years.  He has been involved in supporting Bread & Roses for over thirty years having worked with Mimi Fariña as an event coordinator in the late 70s and early 80s.    We are truly blessed to have his continuing contributions; the beautiful images that help us tell our story in so many ways.

Take our upcoming benefit on Match 22 at the Regency Ballroom for example.  Peter’s images grace our invitation and program.  His  photos also make up a large part of the slide show we will be screening for the first time at the event showing the power of the institutional shows recently performed by our benefit musicians. 

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We are thrilled to announce Take Heart  the exciting and eclectic 2012 Concert to Benefit Bread & Roses. The show will be held on March 22 at the historic Regency Ballroom in San Francisco, and will feature an extraordinary lineup of some of the Bay Area’s hottest local artists, all of whom inspire our audiences year-round.

The concert will be big, bold and brilliant – ranging from blues and jazz to pop and Broadway show tunes. Some of our featured artists include:

Mitch Woods and his Rocket 88s. Mitch is described as “one of the top boogie piano men around” by Dan Aquilante of the New York Post. Mitch Woods and his Rocket 88s will fill the room with their jumpin’ and jivin’, pumpin’ and poundin’, New Orleans rhythm and blues “rock-a-boogie” magic.

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Our Heart of Marin Award nominees for 2011: (left to right) Peter Merts, Tucky Pogue and Dick Miner.

On Thursday, January 5, 2012, at the 19th Annual Heart of Marin Awards in San Rafael, Bread & Roses board and staff honored three of our Marin volunteers:  Peter Merts of San Rafael, Dick Miner of San Anselmo and Tucky Pogue from Ross.  Peter and Dick were nominated as "Volunteer of the Year" and Tucky, for her "Excellence in Board Leadership." 

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It is with great sorrow that we note the passing of our friend Warren Hellman. Warren was both a donor and volunteer performer for Bread & Roses, playing gigs for our isolated audiences with his band, The Wronglers.  Warren and The Wronglers brought joy and hope to seniors, the developmentally disabled, and those battling addiction, and everywhere they played, Warren established a heart-to-heart connection with his audience. Warren exemplified all that is most compassionate about Bread & Roses. After every show he told friends that he "received far more than he gave" when he played at these small gigs for his neighbors in need. He especially delighted in the fact that he was known to those we serve as a banjo player. His many other well deserved titles - billionaire, financier, philanthropist, endurance runner, San Francisco treasure - took a back seat to "musician" on these occasions, and Warren got a real kick out of this. Like countless others, we will miss Warren. His memory will truly be a blessing.

Photos courtesy of Peter Merts.

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This year marks the 10th anniversary of the passing of Bread & Roses founder, Mimi Fariña. Yet, her legacy lives on through the work that Bread & Roses accomplishes every day by bringing quality live music to individuals who are isolated and institutionalized. This work is made possible through the generosity of our volunteers and donors. And right now, there has never been a more exciting time to support our work...

• Because you have witnessed the power of live music to transform and and inspire in profound and unexpected ways.
• Because we urgently need your help to continue our important work.
• Because 100% of the board have contributed to a challenge grant to thank you for your generosity - thereby doubling the impact of your gift.
• And because right now, a gift of any size will make you a founding member of our new FOUNDER'S CIRCLE - established in honor of our founder, Mimi Fariña.

Thirty-seven years ago Mimi Fariña founded Bread & Roses with the compassionate desire to offer hope and joy to isolated audiences through the healing power of live music. Since then, Bread & Roses has grown considerably, presenting nearly 600 shows ayear to nearly 27,000 individuals being cared for in 120 Bay Area facilities.

These are some examples of how our audience members have responded to Bread & Roses shows:

"The music makes me want to live longer," said an elderly woman living apart from family and friends in a convalescent home for low-income residents.

"Today became the best day of my life," said a teen at a juvenile hall after a Bread & Roses performer invited her to the stage to sing.

"Please know that your organization will be remembered the duration of my lifetime for the gift of hope you have given me through music and song," said Don, a man recovering from addiction.

Join the Founder's Circle today and ensure that Mimi's caring legacy lives on. In doing so, you will inspire hope, change a life, and bring comfort to those who need it most.

Video courtesy of Michael Mc Connell at Media Local Studios.

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