The corner of Birch Bay Drive and Alderson Road has never had more excitement! The Bridge Community Hope Center, encompassing the food bank and designer clothing boutique, has had an exceptional year. GraceCore Academy has new announcements in education, and the opening of The Way Cafe has been truly thrilling for Birch Bay in 2025!
The Way Cafe opened its doors in June for the busy summer season. With booming success, it has been a huge hit with locals and vacation beachcombers alike. Customers love the fresh, healthy appeal of the gourmet cuisine, with colorful charcuterie choices unmatched in the region. The popular game night is a family friendly way to spend a Friday night, while enjoying top-notch local musicians.
As always, our GraceCore Chaplain Team worked closely with The Bridge. 10 volunteer chaplains spent over 3,125 volunteer hours assisting families. Remarkably, The Bridge Community Food Bank gave out over 80,000 pounds of food! In addition, head chaplain Doug Lang recently organized preparation and donation of 150 lunches to flooded homes.
In 2025, the Bridge Boutique volunteers spent approximately 1,680 man-hours sorting, cleaning and displaying 7,467 pounds of clothing donations. It should be noted that the boutique offers current fashion items and many designer brands. For those in need, we provide clothing vouchers. In 2025 the boutique proudly re-donated 4,420 pounds to local charities such as CAP. In July, GraceCore Academy announced its formal affiliation with The American Association of Christian Counselors. The association has a membership of over 50,000 Christian counselors, physicians, nurses, therapists, social workers and life coaches. Part of the academy’s mission is to increase awareness of mental wellness while improving access to real-life solutions.
With chaplains donating thousands of volunteer hours, “people helping people” is what came about in 2025, right here in Birch Bay.
