Jessica Kovac, founder and executive director of Spokane Valley-based nonprofit Blessings Under the Bridge, is expanding her nonprofit’s mission beyond the bridge.

Kovac's work began in 2007 when she used $50 of her waitressing tips to provide 40 meals to homeless individuals. In 2010, she officially founded Blessings Under the Bridge. It quickly gained national recognition, including features in People magazine and on the "Rachael Ray Show."

Since then, the nonprofit has continued serving people experiencing homelessness and has expanded its services.

“I had never helped the homeless before,” she says. “It was my calling.”

The nonprofit, which has been rebranded as Blessings & Beyond, consists of three separate branches that all serve people experiencing homelessness, including the Blessed Program, Blessed Catering & Events, and R/R Lockers—secure storage lockers specifically designed for homeless people.

“Blessings & Beyond is a metaphor,” Kovac says, referring to the multiple services the program now offers.

The Blessed Program offers specifically tailored bags filled with necessities for those in need, including food, hygiene supplies, survivor kits for domestic violence victims, school supplies, and household and seasonal items. The program also has a food pantry that supplies food during various occasions to homeless people, low-income individuals, and people who find themselves in vulnerable situations.

Blessed Catering & Events, located at 12928 E. Mansfield, in Spokane Valley, is the catering arm of the nonprofit that returns 100% of its profits back into the community, says Kovac. The program operates in a 1,500-square-foot building with a large kitchen and an event venue that can seat up to 100 guests.

Similar to for-profit catering organizations, Blessed Catering & Events provides a selection of menu items, including lunch buffets, dinner buffets, boxed sandwiches, boxed wraps, boxed salads, and trays.

Guests can rent the venue for private themed parties, ladies’ brunches, sports viewing events, and intimate wine and food pairings. Prices for special events range from $100 to $200 per person.

The program also offers a mobile bar and coffee cart to rent for catered events. 

Blessings & Beyond was the official meal provider for the Trent Resource & Assistance Center, and has served over 483,000 meals between 2023 and 2024. The city of Spokane closed the resource center in October 2024. The program has raised $80,000 for the community, says Kovac.

Blessings & Beyond is currently seeking new contracts.

“Where the revenue truly is consistent is in the meal contracts,” she explains. 

Additionally, Kovac's nonprofit offers R/R Lockers, originally dubbed Lockers of Love, which are patent-pending, biometric fingerprint-secured lockers with built-in mailboxes and power outlets. Invented by Kovac, she says the idea came to her when she saw a man walking down the street carrying his belongings.

“I saw an old man walking down the road with a backpack on, just hovered over in shame, like this was everything he’s got,” Kovac recalls. “I just kept thinking, ‘At the very bottom of all his belongings was maybe a pocket watch that his dad gave him, or a picture of his daughter when she was two.’”

Kovac says her vision was to create way for people to have a place to put their belongings.

“This man had all he owns in his backpack, all his prized possessions,” she says. “And these people are constantly getting their things stolen, and they’re just constantly feeling defeated.”

Kovac's brother-in-law, William Miller, produced the locker prototype at Spokane Valley-based manufacturer Purcell Systems Inc.

“It’s for rebuilding and restoring their identity,” Kovac says. “We don’t call it a product; we call it a solution.”

Kovac's goal is to place the lockers in shelters and bus stations with 100% of the profits returned to the community.

Family Promises is looking to place 20 lockers in its shelter, Kovac says. 

Before rebranding to Blessings & Beyond in 2022, the nonprofit fed close to 250 homeless people every Wednesday night, Kovac says.

“Once a week it was a huge production, 80s music playing with eight different stations,” Kovac says, referring to the nonprofit's resource tables. “We provided everything they would need, including shoes, clothing, and even roses on Mother’s Day.”

The nonprofit has been recognized for its work in the community and has won multiple awards, including Nonprofit of the Year by Greater Spokane Incorporated in 2014.

Since the nonprofit's establishment 15 years ago, corporate support has grown.

About 400 people were fed at the nonprofit's first big event, Kovac says.

“Year after year we built an event that served over 1,000 people every (Christmas) at 30 different stations. Year 10, we had Northern Quest Casino contribute prime rib for 1,400 people. Ben and Jerry's served 10,000 scoops of ice cream over the course of our events.”

Moving forward, Kovac says she will continue seeking resources and contributions from large regional businesses to help advance the nonprofit's cause.

“At the end of the day, I’m not here to build an empire for myself,” she says. “It truly is to give back. And I feel like this is why God called me to this. It’s because he knows my heart is in the right place.”