By Dave Johnson
W&M Athletics

As a global pandemic brought fear, the "Front Porch Project" provided a diversion. Families across the country have been encouraged to pose outside their homes to promote resiliency against the new normal. Silliness, like poking fun at the Great Toilet Paper Scare, was strongly encouraged.
 
William & Mary assistant football coach Ras-I Dowling and his wife, Leah, took part along with many of their neighbors. No one expected those family portraits to spark a community-helping project.
 
"We were talking about how cool it was, but I also felt a little guilty about it," Leah Dowling said. "They were all pictures of people sitting in front of nice homes having fun and all of that. But it hit me: Not everybody is able to joke around and make a fun memory of this.
 
"We live next to a mobile park community, and I'm sure things look a little different there. We wanted to show these people that we love them and we care what they're going through, too."
 
So Breaking Bread was born. Leah Dowling and her neighbor, Cassie Bradshaw, set up the program with two primary objectives: to distribute meals to the less fortunate, and to provide assistance to local restaurants, who have struggled during the restrictions.
 
Last Friday, Breaking Bread set up distribution sites at two Williamsburg hotels and provided hot meals for the 12^th consecutive week. Leah and Cassie never envisioned being able to sustain it this long. Then again, they never expected to get so much help.
 
Nine restaurants have gotten involved: Dominion Dogs, Matchsticks BBQ, Sal's by Victor, Qdoba, Paul's Deli, Aromas, Anna's Brick Oven, The Hound's Tail, and La Tolteca. Breaking Bread is getting plenty of community support, including from the W&M football team. 
 
"When my wife was telling me about it," said Ras-I Dowling, the Tribe's defensive backs coach, "I said, of course we'll be all in."
 
Breaking Bread's Facebook site has a recorded endorsement from W&M head coach Mike London.
"We live in unprecedented times," London said. "Providing support and all you can do for a program or initiative like Breaking Bread is much appreciated." 
 
Initially, Breaking Bread's fundraising goal was $5,000, which was expected to be enough for four distribution dates and about 1,000 meals. By April 24, the day of its first event, more than $12,000 had been raised.
 
Leah said her family's church, Life Church in Williamsburg, has been instrumental in donating funds and volunteering. So has James City Community Church, which Bradshaw's family attends and has taken on the project as a ministry.
 
America's Inn on Richmond Road and Travelodge on Capital Landing and Bypass Road have been the two main distribution sites. Breaking Bread makes drop-offs at six other hotels in the area.
Feeding those in need was important, but so was helping local restaurants.
 
"We've made it a point to work with them and say, 'Hey, we don't want you guys to be giving out free meals or even with huge discounts,'" she said. "'We want to give you what the price would be for your meals to support you as well.'"
 
It's been a godsend to Dominion Dogs owner Dave Andre, who started his food truck just as the pandemic broke. His Breaking Bread event on May 1 came a week after opening day.
 
"I was still getting my feet wet, but it was a lot of fun," he said. "What they're doing lines up so well with what my wife, Andrea, and I wanted to do in creating our business, which was to help the community and help feed people. 
 
"It helped get our name out there, and I started getting some calls from other places that wanted to do either similar things or have us come out to their church or their event. It was definitely helpful from a business perspective as well."
 
W&M assistant coaches Keenan Carter (defensive line), Christian Taylor (offensive coordinator) and Michael Marquez (defensive analyst) have helped distribute food. Leah Dowling praised Aundrea Holiday, an officer with the Williamsburg Police Department who has been at every distribution event, as "a kind soul (who) helped build bridges for us."
 
Breaking Bread has its 13^th event scheduled for Friday and plans to keep distributing food as long as funding is there. After that, it's on to Plan B.
 
"Right now, we only have enough money for another week or two," Leah Dowling said. "But even if we're no longer able to provide food, we want to keep the relationship alive so we can continue to support the people we've connected with in different ways. 
 
"We haven't gone down that road too far yet. It would be great if we could get it through the rest of the summer."
 
To volunteer and/or donate, please visit https://jccchurch.churchcenter.com/giving and click "food truck" on the drop-down menu.