September 8, 2025 newsletter

 

Good morning! First an update about the fire:
We were able to have dinner on Friday evening for our friends in the community, but we had to serve it out of electric pans and crock pots because the kitchen had not been cleaned up yet. On Saturday, we were able to have an open pantry session inside, but in the dining room because the big hall had not been cleaned up and was full of equipment. The smell of smoke is still pretty strong in some areas, but it's getting better. The entrance that we use is going to have to be rebuilt. We are anxious to have all of this mess be just a memory, but we're also aware that everything could have been so much worse.

The Riverview Chamber Players are coming to perform a concert to support our dinner and pantry! A flyer is attached with all of the details, but basically, my friend Margaret Phillips, along with Rebecca Strauss, professional musicians at Berklee, will be performing duets of beautiful music in the sanctuary of Shepherd of the Valley on Sunday September 21, at 4:00. There will be light refreshments afterward. Margaret and Rebecca call their concert “Harmony & Hope: Feeding Our Neighbors with Music.” Isn't that lovely? While the concert is free, they are asking for (voluntary!) monetary donations to help us replace lost supplies and to purchase food for our dinners.

You may have already seen online that we received a delivery of Bombas socks from our friend Kevin Hayes. This is a joint project of Pepperell VFW Post 3291 along with the Bombas Socks Giving Program and the Charles W. Moore Lodge. Each year, they put together hundreds of pairs of high quality socks that they donate to us and other organizations. There's a picture of Kevin dropping off the socks to Sue C. Thank you so much to them for their generosity each year!

One Small Thing
Our friend Marcia C sent in this One Small Thing that she did, and her unexpected reward for it! Marcia offered a beach chair to a woman on one of the “Buy Nothing” groups. When she came to pick it up, she surprised Marcia by leaving her a dozen freshly laid eggs from her backyard chickens. “Such a sweet exchange! Gratitude all around!” she wrote.

 

We don't have a list of food items that we are in need of this week. We're waiting for the professional cleaners to finish doing their magic and for us to be able to have full access to the areas we need. You all were very generous during the food drive in August, and our stock should be fine for a few weeks. Please consider coming to support us at the Harmony & Hope concert! It will be a wonderful afternoon!

I love you all. Thank you for your messages of concern and support!