Easy Tiger bakes 10,000 loaves of bread to feed community members in need

When local bakery and beer garden Easy TIger announced a plan in March to bake 10,000 loaves of bread for community organizations feeding those most impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, CEO Mike Stitt thought it was an ambitious goal that would be difficult to complete.

The plan was to give customers the option to buy a $3 "community loaf," the same way they might order a sourdough or baguette online. But instead of having the bread delivered for takeout, the costs would go toward helping Easy Tiger buy flour and other ingredients to make the bread.

Easy Tiger would match up to 2,000 loaves to organizations such as the Central Texas Food Bank, Mobile Loaves and Fishes, and Keep Austin Fed, and it would also cover the labor and transportation costs for the community loaves.

The challenge was announced March 26, and Easy Tiger set a goal to donate 10,000 loaves on May 26. Stitt said he thought maybe Easy Tiger could get to 5,000 or 6,000 in the initial 60-day window; then it might have to extend that period a bit to 90 days to hit the 10,000 goal.

Instead, Easy Tiger announced May 5—20 days ahead of schedule—that it hit the 10,000-loaf goal.

"Austin is the best, man. People are so generous and caring; it's amazing. We thought it would be very difficult in 60 days," Stitt said.

With one challenge completed, Easy Tiger is now thinking about what is next. The bakery will continue accepting orders for community loaves through the end of the initial 60-day window, May 26, and Stitt said there may be more to come.

"We're now thinking about how we can raise the bar and keep this challenge going. How do we keep feeding people? That was really the idea when we started this whole thing."