February 19, 2024 newsletter

 

Good morning to all! We had a great week, and I have a lot of excellent things to tell you about!

We were helped out last Wednesday by a crew from the Ayer office of National Grid. Chris and Sean came to help pack, sort, stock, and basically do anything else we asked for. They also brought some weatherstripping along with them that Dan (also from the office) supplied, and tightened up the seal on our pantry door. It stayed so much more comfortable in there on Saturday without the wind whistling through like a freight train! Thank you guys...we really appreciated all your help. We also received a pantry food donation from Elizabeth S from Theide Plumbing & Heating on Wednesday. They have been collecting and donating to various pantries in the area, and it was nice to meet Elizabeth. Thank you to everyone!

During our packing time on Wednesday, thanks to the fact that we had the extra hands from National Grid, a couple of our crew made a heroic trip to Nashua to pick up diapers and sanitary napkins for the migrant group sheltered in Ayer. This was made financially possible by a grant from Greater Lowell Community Foundation. I swear that Lin and Dan are tetris masters, as they managed to fit $2000 worth of cartons into only 2 cars! Our friend Beth went along too, to help cart and carry. There's a picture above of the delivery. You can't see the entire mountain of diapers, but trust me...it was impressive!

Thursday morning, Melanie P went with me to a Groton-Pepperell Rotary Club meeting. We were invited to give the club an update on our activities and on what makes Stone Soup Kitchen unique. It was inspiring to hear about everything that Rotary sponsors as well: Rotary International is an excellent organization, one of (if not THE) largest service organization in the world. They presented us with a very generous donation towards our food and programs, and I've included a picture of that below. The current club president, Mark, is on the right. We really should have put Shorty Spice (Melanie) in the middle!

On Friday evening, we had a visit from Mike G from the Community Harvest Project. This is the non-profit farm and orchard that keeps us supplied with apples and peaches during the harvest season. Mike came to share dinner with us and to just help out in general. It's always so nice to get to spend time with the folks who make our job possible! We welcome any of you who would like to join us for dinner to come at any time. If you're going to bring a group, I just ask that you let me know in enough time to make sure there is enough food. Our doors open at 4pm on Fridays for socializing, dinner is served at 5, and the support group starts at 5:30.

If you can shop for us this week, we are in need of just a few items: cans (or bags) of regular coffee, small jars of jelly (low sugar if possible), spaghetti pasta (whole wheat if possible), cereal (especially low-sugar varieties), and 18 oz sized containers of unflavored oatmeal (whole rolled or quick cook). We'll be at the pantry on Wednesday from 10 to noon, Friday from 4 to 5:30, and Saturday from 9 to noon for drop-offs. And the bin is always available at Shop n' Save if those times don't suit. Please leave a note in the bag with your name so we know whom to thank!

Take good care of yourselves and others, and have a great week!