Photo: Courtesy of Italian Bread Shop
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) – Community members in Springfield are coming together to give a popular bakery a much needed facelift.
Italian Bread Shop in Springfield has been around for years, owned by Jose Santos. But when Santos’ daughter Jenny noticed the beloved bakery needed some improvements, she took to Facebook to ask for some help.
“He’s been there forever and it’s been a very long time since we’ve done any remodeling,” Santos explained.
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The bakery has been struggling financially because of the pandemic so Santos knew it would be hard to do the renovations alone. She asked for people to donate paint and other simple hacks that would make a big difference. The response Santos got was immediate and overwhelming.
“I want to say it was something like 40,000 people it reached within a 24-hour period,” Jenny explained. “They were volunteering time [and] they were volunteering supplies.”
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A multitude of volunteers including carpenters, painters and electricians signed up for the bakery’s remodeling that will start next week. For Jenny, she said this experience has been incredibly reaffirming.
“It makes me feel good because it just gives me hope that there are really, still, good people in this world.”
MassLive reports even Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno has offered to help.
WBZ’s Carl Stevens (@carlwbz) has more:
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