Because it’s warm and comforting
Because it’s made to be shared.
Because it feels like home.
How We Started…
Love & Cornbread brings people together by sharing delicious food made with love. Back in August 2020, our founder Sue May felt isolated and disconnected during the pandemic. She needed to give her beloved city of Baltimore a hug. So she whipped up 35 servings of homemade mac-and-cheese and handed it out near a barbershop in West Baltimore to anyone who needed it.
Up Next: Hey, Cornbread Lady
…"Hey, Cornbread Lady!"
That one day that changed her life. Sue discovered that sharing food made with care and intention with folks who are often overlooked created an immediate and joyful human connection. She came back, every single Saturday at noon. Neighborhood regulars nicknamed her Cornbread Lady after the popularity of her hot, buttery, scratch-made cornbread, a favorite recipe learned from her Memphis-born mother. Dozens of volunteers soon joined in to help prepare and serve comforting, delicious meals, just like they’d serve their own friends and families.
Up Next: Go Big or Go Home!
…Go Big or Go Home!
By July 2024, Love & Cornbread was an official 501(c)(3) non-profit organization serving 26K+ delicious, comforting meals annually. But with growth, came challenges. Quality meals are expensive to produce, and the non-profit world operates on the thinnest of margins. How could we uphold our values on a shoestring budget?
Up Next: Cornbread For Sale!
…Cornbread For Sale!
The answer was right in front of us: cornbread! 9 out of 10 times when someone hears our name for the first time they say, “Oh! I love cornbread!” The feeling of home, family, and comfort associated with cornbread is just about universal. So we knew what we had to do: share our beloved cornbread with a new family: yours.
We sold our first ever bag of Sunday Supper Conbread Mix at Baltimore's 32nd Street Farmer's Market and it was a huge hit! We sold a bag a minute for the next five hours.
Up Next: One Big Cornbread Family
One Big Cornbread Family
Our chef-created, bake-at-home cornbread mixes bake up fluffy and tender every time. How do we know? Because it’s the same cornbread we bake for the community we serve and for our own friends and family. And every bag you purchase supports our mission and creates jobs in beautiful Baltimore City. So we invite you to join our Cornbread Family, where we are ALL connected by the power of sharing food made with love.
Who: Kids participating in Baltimore City after-school programs run by our non-profit community partners, including The Agoge Project, Next One Up, and Restoring Inner City Hope.
What: L&C delivers hot, hearty, scratch-made family-style meals to our partners once a week, at no cost.
Why: Baltimore City does its best to give kids access to free meals year round through the federal school breakfast and lunch programs, but many kids still go home hungry.
Our partners report that not only do Love & Cornbread’s meals “make kids feel special,” they also have a positive impact on student behavior and on mental health
Who: Primarily unhoused or otherwise vulnerable adults and families, but also friends and neighbors living or working in the neighborhood around a particular barbershop. We partner with Phaze 2 Barbershop, Tuerk House, and Maryland Overdose Response Prevention Program to support this work.
What: Every Saturday at noon, volunteers show up to serve 300+ meals made with love outside the barbershop. The mood is upbeat, the meals are delicious, and all are welcome.
Why: L&C founder Sue May first handed out homemade mac & cheese outside this barbershop in August 2020. Since then, Love & Cornbread’s commitment to serving the best possible food and never, ever missing a week helped us build strong relationships across the neighborhood.
At the direct request of the community we serve, L&C also provides hygiene items, overdose reversal medication, and a direct link to a substance abuse treatment center for anyone who asks.
Who: Adults over age 60 living in economically disadvantaged Baltimore neighborhoods, reached via our non-profit community partners, including Lifebridge Health and the Clergy United for the Transformation of Sandtown.
What: Our community partners provide free blood pressure screenings in the community every week. L&C helps to attract new and returning participants by providing each person with a hearty, high-quality, meal-to-go and a high-five to thank them for taking care of their health.
Why: Weekly blood pressure screenings are a low-cost way to deliver basic health care and provide primary care referrals. Chronic conditions such as heart disease and diabetes are silent killers in Baltimore’s poorest neighborhoods.
Our collaboration has led to a reduction in blood pressure as well as emergency room visits among repeat participants, as verified by external data.
Our Team
Core Team
Board of Directors
Our Partners
We couldn't do what we do without their generous support.
Sponsors: donate in-kind (supplies, facilities, etc.)
After-School Programs We Serve
Sponsors: Provided grants or awards in the past
Become a Partner
Love & Cornbread is a non-profit working to improve the lives of our neighbors. We couldn’t do it without you – the community. Become a donor and help ensure that every dollar raised goes to serving high-quality meals.
Have a product that can support the growth of Love & Cornbread? Ingredients? Packaging? A beautiful place to have a photoshoot? Your in-kind donation can make all the difference in our work
Become a Partner
Love & Cornbread is a non-profit working to improve the lives of our neighbors. We couldn’t do it without you – the community. Become a donor and help ensure that every dollar raised goes to serving high-quality meals.
Have a product that can support the growth of Love & Cornbread? Ingredients? Packaging? A beautiful place to have a photoshoot? Your in-kind donation can make all the difference in our work
Want to give directly to our mission?
Help provide healthy, delicious meals to kids in need with a tax-deductible donation. It's quick and easy to donate online.