Stone Soup Kitchen Ministries

  Sitting here at my desk to write this letter today, I glanced out the window and can't even see the house next door to us through the fog that's settled in our wooded back yard. Normally this time of year, still being part of “stick season,” it's easy to see our neighbors, but not today! It's slowly lifting as I sit here, but it strikes me that I have a choice: Is it gloomy or beautiful? Which should I focus on? I am not an unrelenting Pollyanna by any means (those who know me will attest to that), so I have found it necessary these days to grab onto any positive turn of events that I can in order to keep going. I am sorry to have to start with the “gloomy” news today so that we can then move on to the practical matter of what some of our supporters are doing about it. Hopefully you will find much of that to be very positive...and probably even beautiful 😊 Last week, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) made a third cut to food that our food banks were expe...

  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 be pork and noodles, with sides, dessert, juice, 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 Street and follow the arrows. If you need food, or KNOW someone who needs food...please come pick some up. Email any questio...

Lin and Vinny will be hosting a free hot cocoa and glitter tattoo stand in the Ayer Shop 'n Save parking lot from 10 to noon on Saturday March 29, 2025!!  Come and hang out, and enjoy a cuppa! 

  Happy Spring everyone! I know that it doesn't yet fully look like Spring out there, but there are some early signs, including some brand new winter irises (Iris Reticulate) that I planted last fall. A picture is attached...it's not great because the wind just wouldn't quit, but at least you can see the pretty pattern on the petal. They're really small, about 6 to 8 inches tall. And they make me happy. Other things that make us extremely happy... A fun event which is coming up soon is Lin and Vinny M's famous hot cocoa stand at the Ayer Shop 'n Save parking lot. Free hot cocoa and glitter tattoos for all, from 10 to noon on Saturday March 29th . Lin will have a list of food items that we are collecting, but there is NO OBLIGATION to buy or donate anything. Just come and have some cocoa, and hang out with some pretty cool kids! We had a great visit from our friends at National Grid, who joined the shopping trip for the migrant shelter's communal ki...

  Stone Soup Kitchen opens at 4 pm on Friday evenings, located at Shepherd of the Valley Church on Washington Street in Ayer (the sign says Federated Church). 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 be cheeseburger-sausage bake, with sides, dessert, juice, 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 Street and follow the arrows. If you need food, or KNOW someone who needs food...please ...

  Happy St Patrick's Day, the day that everyone is Irish! I'm not, but just for today, I'll pretend. Mike is, so I'll be making corned beef tonight :-) These days, we have to get our fun where we can find it. I'm going to start with the fun and upbeat news today: we received donated Girl Scout cookies from the Shirley/Ayer Daisy troop. Speaking of things that everyone loves! It was extremely kind of them, and of course everyone who received some cookies was thrilled. Thank you, Daisies and Leaders! Our friend Laurie S put together some more of her kits for sprouting seeds (as in, sprouts for salads) and some refills for those who had already received one. Last fall, when she first had the idea, we didn't know if they would be popular or not, but we decided to give them a try. Well, they were very popular! That just goes to show that you never know if your own passion or talent will be something that others want to share in until you try. The ne...

  Stone Soup Kitchen opens at 4 pm on Friday evenings, located at Shepherd of the Valley Church on Washington Street in Ayer (the sign says Federated Church). 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 be a French onion chicken, with sides, dessert, juice, 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 Street and follow the arrows. If you need food, or KNOW someone who needs food...please co...

  Stone Soup Kitchen opens at 4 pm on Friday evenings, located at Shepherd of the Valley Church on Washington Street in Ayer (the sign says Federated Church). 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 be a turkey dinner, with sides, dessert, juice, 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 Street and follow the arrows. If you need food, or KNOW someone who needs food...please come pick s...

  Good morning and happy March! Let's all hope that this roller coaster of temperatures will end soon. As my friend Catie said yesterday, “oh sure, we get this beautiful warmish day where everything starts to melt, and then...ice.” But I also want to report that my friend Paula does a countdown each year between the fall and spring time-change, and at the end of last week, we entered the single digits! More evening light is always a good thing for me, and I hope it is for you too. Even though we all miss that “lost” hour of sleep! Before I forget, there won't be a letter next Monday. I have finally been able to arrange a visit with my Dad late this week and into next week. We lost my Mom early in January, and he reassured me that he was fine, so that SSK could complete our move. My brother lives near him, so I knew he really was ok, but...well, I'm a Daddy's girl. I need to go see him. Last week was very busy, but for the first time, we felt like the sche...