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A local potluck and food pantry. We get together, we share food, and we talk!

The story of "stone soup" exists all over the world. In my favorite variation, a hungry traveler appears in a village with nothing but an empty cooking pot, a spoon, and his appetite. When the suspicious villagers will not show him any hospitality, he sets up his cooking pot in the village square and begins to boil water with a simple stone in it. As the curious townsfolk pass by and ask him what he is doing, he stirs the pot and tells them that he is making stone soup. Further, he explains that at the end of the day when the soup is ready, everyone will be welcome to come and share it with him. Eventually, one person ventures that the soup might taste better with a few onions. Soon the villagers are each bringing a couple of carrots, a potato, a little salt, whatever they have on hand to add to the stone soup. At the end of the day, the whole town shares a delicious pot of soup (minus the stone, of course), and they have also learned a valuable lesson about the joys of shari...
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September 22, 2025 newsletter

  Good morning friends! Tonight starts Rosh Hashanah (literally the “head of the year”). It begins the period of the High Holy Days, which is a time of self-reflection and prayer, culminating in Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. It's traditional to eat things that are round and sweet for Rosh Hashanah, like apples with honey, figs, dates, and roasted chicken :-) Alright, chicken isn't exactly round, but with a honey glaze, it's found on our table each year! Before I can start to cook today, I have so many things to tell you about. I'll start with the wonderful Harmony + Hope Concert that our friends Margaret Phillips and Rebecca Strauss performed for us yesterday afternoon. It was an amazing event, with Margaret and Rebecca sharing stories about their instruments, the music, and themselves, encouraging everyone to ask questions and to interact with what they were playing. We can't thank them enough for giving us so much of their time and talents! There ar...

Friday Social + Potluck, Friday Support Group, + Saturday Food Pantry

  PLEASE NOTE: the only entrance to dinner tonight will be through the lower door on Washington Street. Please park in the Newton Street lot and walk up to the first blue door. Stone Soup Kitchen opens at 4 pm on Friday evenings, located at Shepherd of the Valley Church on Washington Street in Ayer. Please park in the Newton Street lot and walk up to the first blue door on Washington Street. Dinner is open to ANYone who wants a good hot meal and some company...no need to bring anything but yourself unless you want to! From 4 to 5, we are open for those who want to get together and socialize in the dining room. The potluck dinner is available from 5 to 5:30 followed by dessert and our open support group, which runs from 5:30 to 6, if you'd like to stay for it after dinner. This week, the potluck will feature roast chicken with gravy, various sides, dessert, juice, coffee, and some extra snacks to take home for the weekend. Our food pantry is open every Saturday m...

September 15, 2025 newsletter

  Good morning friends! What a beautiful weekend it was, and what an equally nice stretch of weather seems to be before us this week. Slowly but surely, things are getting set to rights in the kitchen and the pantry. We lost some more food and supplies last week during the professional cleanup, which was very unfortunate, but we're back to full operations now. Accessibility for the pantry is still a challenge right now, but as soon as our entrance and hallway are rebuilt or restored, things will be much better. It would be nice if everything could be finished yesterday, right? :-) I want to remind you about the concert coming up this Sunday, September 21 at 4:00 in the beautiful Shepherd of the Valley sanctuary (21 Washington Street, Ayer). This is a benefit for Stone Soup Kitchen, being performed by two professional Berklee Conservatory musicians. I have heard them, and they are, in a word...GREAT! Come enjoy an hour of wonderful music followed by some light refreshmen...

The Riverview Chamber Players to do a benefit concert!

We are thrilled to be able to offer this free concert to our community! Harmony & Hope: Feeding Our Neighbors with Music Sunday, September 21 at 4:00 Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church 21 Washington Street, Ayer Please park in the lot off of Newton Street, and walk up Washington Street to the second blue door. The concert is free, but if you are able to make a donation to help support our dinners and pantry, we would be grateful.  

Friday Social + Potluck, Friday Support Group, + Saturday Food Pantry

  PLEASE NOTE: the only entrance to dinner tonight will be through the lower door on Washington Street. Please park in the Newton Street lot and walk up to the first blue door. Stone Soup Kitchen opens at 4 pm on Friday evenings, located at Shepherd of the Valley Church on Washington Street in Ayer. Please park in the Newton Street lot and walk up to the first blue door on Washington Street. Dinner is open to ANYone who wants a good hot meal and some company...no need to bring anything but yourself unless you want to! From 4 to 5, we are open for those who want to get together and socialize in the dining room. The potluck dinner is available from 5 to 5:30 followed by dessert and our open support group, which runs from 5:30 to 6, if you'd like to stay for it after dinner. This week, the potluck will feature salisbury steak, various sides, dessert, juice, coffee, and some extra snacks to take home for the weekend. Our food pantry is open every Saturday morning from 10 to...

September 8, 2025 newsletter

  Good morning! First an update about the fire: We were able to have dinner on Friday evening for our friends in the community, but we had to serve it out of electric pans and crock pots because the kitchen had not been cleaned up yet. On Saturday, we were able to have an open pantry session inside, but in the dining room because the big hall had not been cleaned up and was full of equipment. The smell of smoke is still pretty strong in some areas, but it's getting better. The entrance that we use is going to have to be rebuilt. We are anxious to have all of this mess be just a memory, but we're also aware that everything could have been so much worse. The Riverview Chamber Players are coming to perform a concert to support our dinner and pantry! A flyer is attached with all of the details, but basically, my friend Margaret Phillips, along with Rebecca Strauss, professional musicians at Berklee, will be performing duets of beautiful music in the sanctuary of Shep...

Friday Social + Potluck, Friday Support Group, + Saturday Food Pantry

  ***PLEASE NOTE: due to fire damage, the only entrance to dinner tonight will be through the lower door on Washington Street. Please park in the Newton Street lot and walk up to the first blue door.*** Stone Soup Kitchen opens at 4 pm on Friday evenings, located at Shepherd of the Valley Church on Washington Street in Ayer. Dinner is open to ANYone who wants a good hot meal and some company...no need to bring anything but yourself unless you want to! From 4 to 5, we are open for those who want to get together and socialize in the dining room. The potluck dinner is available from 5 to 5:30 followed by dessert and our open support group, which runs from 5:30 to 6, if you'd like to stay for it after dinner. This week, the potluck will feature ham, mac 'n cheese, various sides, dessert, juice, coffee, and some extra snacks to take home for the weekend. Our food pantry is open every Saturday morning from 10 to noon, same location. Come to the parking lot on Cambridge Str...