Since its inception, it has doubled in size to produce bread for more than 1 million meals annually. To see how the tiny bakery does it, tune in to "Breaking Bread with Father Dominic" on Jan. 20 at 3:30 p.m. on WLAE.

Pennies for Bread will be spotlighted during the half-hour episode, "Flour Power," with host the Rev. Dominic Garramone.

During his discussion of the origin, history and uses of the many specialty flours available today, he'll highlight people who bake bread for charitable causes, with a visit to the Pennies for Bread bakery.

During the visit, the Rev. Augustine Foley, program director, will demonstrate how Pennies for Bread uses the power of flour to minister to the hungry.

In a small, renovated milking parlor on the abbey's grounds, Foley and a staff of four bakers prepare and deliver 2,000 loaves of bread each week. During a three-day period, they prepare dough, bake, slice and bag the loaves to be delivered to 27 charitable organizations including Lake House in Mandeville and the Caring Center and Safe Harbor in Slidell.

Other volunteers from the abbey and the community often aid the staff with the slicing and bagging. Brother Joe Webre, one of the bakers, also drives the delivery truck. A long term volunteer with Pennies for Bread, Webre says driving the truck is rewarding because he gets to see where the bread goes.

Recipients of the bread, such as the New Orleans homeless shelter, Bridge House, acknowledge they couldn't meet their meal requirements without assistance from Pennies for Bread.

Corporate and individual sponsors who make three-year pledges of "pennies for bread" support the program. For instance, a corporation might pledge 10 cents a loaf ($5,200 a year, based on the original output of 1,000 loaves a week) while an individual might give a half-cent per loaf ($260 a year).

Foley said some sponsors have been with the program since its beginning but notes that a number of sponsors have been lost over the years. Often when a national firm buys out a local company, its new management may not always have the same commitment to the community.

In addition to coordinating the Pennies for Bread program, Foley also teaches philosophy at St. Joseph Seminary College. Although philosophy and the intent of the bread program may seem similar, Pennies for Bread has much more tangible rewards, he said. "With Pennies for Bread, you have an immediate sense of accomplishment."

To become a sponsor or for information about Pennies for Bread, contact Foley at St. Joseph Abbey, St. Benedict, LA 70457, telephone (985) 867-2234 or visit their Website at www.stjosephabbey.org.