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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...
Recent posts

July 20, 2026 newsletter

Good morning! What a gorgeous weekend, the type that all of us except for extreme heat-lovers just live for. Mike and I are going to try to extend the weekend a little bit this afternoon after I get all of the paperwork done. This particular part of the paperwork...writing the weekly letter...is pure joy for me, since I get to share with you all of the amazing things that you are enabling us to accomplish in the lives of our friends and community. There are actually so many small (and a couple of big) things to share with you today that this whole letter could be an episode of One Small Thing! So I'll leave off the title and just tell you as much as I can remember about the blessings we've experienced this past week. Ayer Police Department is going to be holding the annual food drive for us in the month of August, where you can drop off pantry items at the Police Station. In addition, APD and Ayer-Shirley-Groton Rotary Club will be holding a Fill-a-Cruiser event...

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

  Stone Soup Kitchen opens at 4 pm on Friday evenings, located in Shepherd of the Valley Church on Washington Street in Ayer. **For Friday dinner, you must park in the lot off of Newton St and walk up to the first blue door unless you are disabled** For the Saturday food pantry, please come to the parking lot on Cambridge St. It is open from 10 to noon. * * * * * 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. Our potluck this week: winner winner, turkey dinner with 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 loca...

July 13, 2026 newsletter

  Good morning! We had an extremely busy weekend, but it was also very satisfying in that we were able to help a LOT of people. The farm owned by the Boston Area Gleaners is ramping up for the season, and we received our first full shipment of produce. Nonetheless, we needed more than we had. The last two people to visit the pantry on Saturday had to be satisfied with gift cards to go purchase their own produce. So even though no one went away empty-handed, it wasn't ideal. Some of the surge in our numbers is probably due to our being closed on the 4th, but we shall see! If you'd like to help us out with produce, have questions about your own gardening efforts, or need a hand with harvesting, don't forget about our gardening guru Rachel! She and her team can help you out. You can contact her at rachelsunflower01432 at gmail dot com We super-appreciate our friends Andy, Bethany, and others at Shepherd of the Valley who share produce with us each week from their...

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

  Stone Soup Kitchen opens at 4 pm on Friday evenings, located in Shepherd of the Valley Church on Washington Street in Ayer. **For Friday dinner, you must park in the lot off of Newton St and walk up to the first blue door unless you are disabled** For the Saturday food pantry, please come to the parking lot on Cambridge St. It is open from 10 to noon. * * * * * 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. Our potluck this week features creamy chicken, rice, and bacon with 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 ...

July 6, 2026 newsletter

  Good morning! I hope you were all able to spend some time with family and friends this past weekend, and that you did everything you could to keep cool. We worry about some of our friends when the temperatures soar like they did, but just a reminder...you can tell anyone you know who is at risk that the police stations and/or fire stations usually have cooling rooms. You can double check with your own town before the next wave arrives so that you will have the information available to share. We now have a date, place, and vendor (woot!!) set for our First Annual Cops and Cones event. It's scary when you have to pick a date and place first, get that all set, and then aren't sure if anyone will have the date free. August 19, 7 to 8pm, the first ballfield at Pirone Park, catered by...(fanfare please)...the amazing West Side Creamery of Acton! They use an old refurbished milk truck! Isn't that adorable? So please put that date on your calendars now and plan to com...

Friday Social + Potluck

  The Pantry is closed tomorrow! But dinner is served tomight! Stone Soup Kitchen opens at 4 pm on Friday evenings, located in Shepherd of the Valley Church on Washington Street in Ayer. **For Friday dinner, you must park in the lot off of Newton St and walk up to the first blue door unless you are disabled** * * * * * 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. Our potluck this week features brats, calico beans and hotdogs with various sides, dessert, juice, coffee, and some extra snacks to take home for the weekend. Special thanks this week to the Nashoba Associated Boards of Health and Nurse Susie, Robert Froehlich, Jackie Es...

Friday Social + Potluck, Friday Support Group, + Saturday Food Pantry: June 26th and 27th

  Stone Soup Kitchen opens at 4 pm on Friday evenings, located in Shepherd of the Valley Church on Washington Street in Ayer.   **For Friday dinner, you must park in the lot off of Newton St and walk up to the first blue door unless you are disabled** For the Saturday food pantry, please come to the parking lot on Cambridge St. It is open from 10 to noon. * * * * * 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. Our potluck this week features chicken with broccoli and ziti, 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 ...