How it all began

In October of 2010, Bread to the Nations (BttN) co-founder Tammy Hagstrom traveled with her oldest daughter on a short term missions trip to Haiti. Through a connection made on that trip, Tammy learned of a Haitian pastor and his wife. They had six biological children and had taken in 14 more since the earthquake in January 2010. The earthquake had rendered their home unlivable, so the family had moved into tents in their backyard. Tammy’s contact asked her to advocate for this orphanage, which was struggling to meet its basic needs with little to no outside assistance. Tammy began the hunt for an organization to come alongside her. Many organizations she contacted didn’t respond. Many were overwhelmed by what they were already supporting.

In January 2012, Tammy pulled together a team of 6 adults including her husband, Steve, and herself. They traveled to Haiti on a vision trip to see the need first hand. While on the trip, the team focused mainly on Pastor Firmin’s home and the children, but the team also had the opportunity to connect with Firmin’s church. Two months after returning to the US, members of the vision team launched Bread to the Nations. Its first task was to advocate for sponsors for the children. The sponsorship program helps support the children in school and provide for their basic needs.

Eventually, Bread to the Nations helped the local church launch a Building Strong Families Initiative. Today, Bread to the Nations helps support education, Audio Bibles, home building and a clean water solution through Building Strong Families. 

In 2022, Bread to the Nations expanded into the Dominican Republic to partner with the local Haitian church and to serve Haitian immigrants. In the Dominican Republic, Bread to the Nations distributes Audio Bibles, resurrected a clean water solution for the church, builds homes and leads a widow support initiative.