Volunteer Founder of Bricks to Bread Receives Andrus Award for Community Service
Nancy Alvarado has been awarded the 2024 AARP Andrus Award for Community Service for Minnesota. The annual award is AARP’s most prestigious and visible volunteer award. It recognizes individuals who share their experience, talent, and skills to enrich their communities in ways consistent with AARP’s purpose and vision. Nancy’s unwavering commitment to volunteer service exemplifies the belief of AARP’s founder, Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus, in the power of ordinary people to do extraordinary things.
Nancy Alvarado is the volunteer founder of Bricks to Bread International, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that helps build brick ovens for Central American women seeking a sustainable source of income. Bricks to Bread fosters community, economic stability for women and their families, and a global connection as teams of volunteers collaborate with Costa Rican and Honduran entrepreneurs building their bakery businesses.
I hope I can inspire others to know that you can. You can find your passion, serve and give back to our community, both locally and internationally. I hope that my demonstration of really shooting for something, shooting for the stars, empowers other experienced adults to find their passion and serve because it has been an opportunity to fulfill my adult life.
Nancy's dedication to service began as a Peace Corps volunteer in the early 1990s, when she worked in the rural village of San Marcos de Cutris, Costa Rica. In 2012, she returned to visit the families she had served while in the Peace Corps. One family confided in Nancy about their struggle with extreme poverty. Recognizing the kitchen skills and determination of this mother and daughter, Nancy leveraged her background in finance and business development to raise funds and build a brick bread oven, kitchen, and shelter with the family. This initiative quickly transformed their lives, enabling them to sell hundreds of baked goods and earn significant income which led to financial independence. The brick oven became a community hub, fostering social connections to gather and share coffee, bread and camaraderie.
Driven by the success of this project, Nancy founded Bricks to Bread in 2016. The nonprofit now supports 20 bakery oven projects, benefiting 265 women and their families. The program, which adds five to six oven projects a year, offers financial, intellectual, and emotional resources, along with leadership and business training.
Bricks to Bread truly came out of a love and passion of serving, from the joy that I received supporting women and families while I was in the Peace Corps. It was something that I couldn't let go of, so I brought it to life with Bricks to Bread. It has become that perfect vehicle that not only allows me to continue to serve in a field I'm so passionate about but also gives me the opportunity to bring that same joy to others as they serve and volunteer with us.
To learn more about Bricks to Bread, and how you can get involved, visit brickstobread.org.
