Stone Soup Kitchen Ministries

  Good morning everyone! What an extraordinarily beautiful day it is! Mike and I joked that this is THE day that is the reason why we don't all move out of Massachusetts during the long winters. There's usually one of these special days in the fall too, so if you miss this one, you'll have another chance in a few months! I had an email correspondence with a reporter for the Sentinel and Enterprise ( link to the article ) a couple of weeks ago. She reminded me that not everyone knows the terminology that people like me use all the time – food banks vs food pantries – so I thought I should mention it here as well. In Massachusetts, we have several large food banks, which are the collectors and repositories of food, from whom food pantries like ours can receive some products each week. What we receive depends upon what they receive, and on how large our program is. You've heard me mention the Merrimack Valley Food Bank before: it's located in Lowell, and it...

  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 lemon parmesan chicken with various 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 ...

  Checks can be sent to Stone Soup Kitchen at 21 Washington St, Suite C, Ayer MA 01432.   For a list of our current needs, please email stonesoupkitchenministries @ gmail. com (remove the spaces). We are able to take food donations on Wednesdays from 10 to noon, Fridays from 4 to 5:30, and Saturdays from 9 to 10. Wednesdays are the best days for deliveries. If those times don't work for you, the bin at Ayer Shop n' Save is always available, but please leave us a note in your bag with your name so that we can thank you properly. It's important to us! Gift cards can also be purchased at Ayer Shop n' Save, and even left at the service desk if you'd like (please sign them so we can thank you!).   We are a 501(c)3 charitable organization, and all donations are tax deductible.

  Good morning everyone. I was very saddened to come downstairs this morning and hear from Mike that Pope Francis had passed away. What a blessing that he got to celebrate the Easter service yesterday though. From all that I have read about this man, he truly had a servant's heart, and to all of my Catholic friends, I am truly sorry for this loss. May the cardinals involved in choosing the next pope be wise and compassionate. We had a good week, filled with opportunities to help people in our community. On Wednesday, our intrepid team of buyers went out to finish off the grant that we'd been given to purchase cooking staples and fresh produce for the communal kitchen at the migrant shelter in Ayer. Many thanks to Alison, Rich, Sue, Paula, Denise, Jacque, and Mich for all your hard work over the last 3 months!   On Saturday, we had an abundance of produce to give out, plus we had Shop 'n Save gift cards so that people could choose something nice for Easter din...

  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 bacon-wrapped brown sugar chicken with various 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...

This crew was having waaaay too much fun today! Thank you to everyone who helped out with shopping to stock up the communal kitchen at the migrant shelter. And thank you so much to Greater Lowell Community Foundation for providing the funds to do it!  ❤️❤️❤️

  A beautiful good morning to you all! After several days of slush and ick, we are finally back to blue skies and slightly warmer temps...it's such a relief! And, along with the great weather, I've got nothing but good news to share with you today. First, we've heard from so many of you who are asking what you can do about the cuts in USDA funding that have everyone worried. I just want you to know how much we appreciate all of you. You are truly a group of people who feel empathy for others, and who rise to the occasion when you are needed. We just don't know quite yet what the impacts are going to be, so stay tuned, but in the meantime...try NOT to worry. Over and over, we have moved forward with a mindset of abundance, and one or another of you have been moved to provide what we need, just in time. I want you to know that we never take that for granted or feel that we have a right to expect your generosity. That's just who you are. 💕 Next, we want t...

  Photo by Paula Sullivan This past Saturday left me hopeful. And then we woke up to a mix of rain and snow this morning...but no worries! This is just typical flighty New England weather during the transition from winter to mud season. Soon, soon, I keep telling myself. The increased light helps a lot. And the flowers do too!  Thank you to Paula S for brightening our day. I appreciate the responses from so many of you last week. They also left me very hopeful. All of you are part of a community that cares about the people who are being left behind. Your responses reassured me that there is a deep well of caring in all of you and in our community as a whole. I pray that other regions and other States have individuals, businesses, civic clubs, churches, and other houses of worship like we do around here, with the spirit of generosity that all of you have. In the past couple of weeks, we have had new volunteers and donors, including a new cookie baker, a new Saturd...

  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 tacos with all the 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 questions to ston...

The entire team that is responsible for managing the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which supports approximately 6.2 million people across the U.S. in paying their heating and cooling bills, has been fired.   It just keeps getting better and better.  At Stone Soup Kitchen, we have many friends who have received help from LIHEAP from time to time.  One person in particular, I'll call him George, came to us for help with food for his family, and said that he was behind on his utility bills because of his wife's illness.  Some of you may know that even if you have health insurance, it doesn't pay for everything, and if you are also an hourly worker... well, you can see how this situation could snowball.  No income from your ill spouse, no income from you as you take time off for their medical needs, bills pile up -- rent, electric, gas or oil, medical costs -- and then there is this pesky need for food several times a day.   We ...