July 7, 2025 newsletter

 

Good morning everyone, and happy July! I hope you were able to enjoy Friday the 4th and Saturday, before the heat came roaring back. For those of you who love the heat, all I can say is that I'm jealous :-) I can't stand the heat, never have been able to, but I'm still happy for all of you who love the Summer. It's such a short season here in New England.

We had a wonderful dinner together on the 4th. One of our regular dinner friends had her birthday, so we celebrated with brownies and ice cream sandwiches (thank you, Ginger and Alison!). We had a smorgasbord of dinner offerings, including lasagna, ravioli alfredo, hamburgers, green beans, and salad. It was fun to help ourselves to a little of everything.

Saturday was not as busy as usual, and I'm thinking that some folks might have assumed we were closed due to the holiday. It was ok though, because it allowed us to practice setting up the Coffee Bar again (thank you Brian!). We also had time to get some gluten-free items together for a new friend who needed some extra help. It's great how it always works out!

This week, the distribution of produce from the Boston Area Gleaners begins, and we can't wait to be able to share that bounty with our guests. We are so grateful to Claire + Shachar at the Gleaners, and to Alison + Rich, who pick up the produce each week. Also to Nicole and Ayer Shop 'n Save for the produce we get there. We've got the best team EV-AH!

I've mentioned several times over the years that we are available to speak to your organization, business, or church about the work that we do at Stone Soup Kitchen. Additionally, we are also happy to talk with any group that is thinking about starting a meal program or a pantry. I had the privilege a few weeks ago to talk with some wonderful ladies who were wondering how to get funding for their pantry beyond their local church. We do not consider this information to be closely guarded secrets at SSK, and we are happy to share with others and to help them avoid some of the mistakes we made along the way. Please feel free to share SSK's email with people you may know who may want to talk.

If you can shop for us this week, we will gratefully take any food off of our full pantry list, and we could especially use cans of baked beans, canned pasta like spaghettios, and 18oz containers of oatmeal. We can take drop-offs at the pantry (through the gray door next to the parking lot on Cambridge Street) on Wednesdays from 10 to noon, Fridays from 4 to 5, and Saturdays only from 9 to 10. Please note that these are shorter hours than before, because of parking logistics. Please do not leave food at the door outside of these hours. 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! We are located at 21 Washington Street, Suite C, Ayer MA 01432

Everyone have a great week, and I hope to see many of you soon!