October 20, 2025 newsletter

 

Good morning! My thankfulness for the rain this morning made me extra aware of all the things I'm grateful for, so I thought I'd do a little pre-Thanksgiving thankfulness today! I'll start with the most recent act of kindness, by one of our business volunteers. Mich's company (the Ayer office of National Grid) allows employees to spend a few hours each month volunteering at a local charitable organization, and we are beyond blessed that they picked us. As if they don't already do enough, Mich recently did some office-type work for me which saved me countless hours. I am beyond grateful.

This week, I am also especially thankful for the following people:

• People who pick up or shop for us, from grocery stores, the donation bins, the food bank, the farms, and the orchard
• The many individuals, churches, civic organizations, banks, schools, and businesses who run food drives, send volunteers, donate food and money, and support us emotionally as well as financially
• Our bakers and delivery person who make sure we always have something special to add to our pantry bags
• The volunteers who come and sort, shelve, pack, lug, and stock for the Saturday pantry, along with those who come and help with distribution each week The volunteers who provide food and dessert for our Friday evening potlucks, help to set up and clean up
• The volunteers at our Coffee Bar who cheerfully visit with people who need company and a listening ear
• The folks at the food bank, farm, orchard, and grocery store who pack things for us each week and make sure that we always have enough
• The people who give of their time and talents to run workshops, classes, tutoring, support groups, and personal care
• Our recycling advocates, who pick up our recyclable trash each week and make sure it doesn't end up in a landfill
• The volunteers who take our excess produce westward to other pantries so that it is not wasted
• The private donors and Community Foundations that supply grant money for projects like our Coffee Bar and our support group
• The local police and COIN officers, who help to guide us on specific issues, and who also make sure that both locals and transients have food from our pantry when they come to them for help
• The nurses and healthcare advocates who visit us for wellness checks and workshops, and all those in our community who have worked tirelessly on the issues surrounding better healthcare access
• My board of trustees, especially those who have a different perspective from me and who sometimes think I'm crazy...and tell me so

Have I remembered everyone? Probably not, and I apologize in advance if I missed someone. We love you all, and we appreciate everything that you do for the community.

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One Small Thing
Even though there are a lot of “small things” and “big things” in the list above, I want to draw special attention to an act by Holly and her Mom. Every so often, I arrive at Ayer Shop 'n Save to buy ingredients for dinner and find that Holly has left a gift card at the service desk for us. Last week, they paid for the entire dinner, plus a few cooking staples that I'd put off purchasing! Thank you for your generosity 💕

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If you are looking for how you can get involved with Stone Soup Kitchen, the bullet list above is a really good start! Each of those items takes people to make them work. The beautiful thing is that they all developed organically over the last seven years or so, and the right people just always have a habit of showing up! Right now, we're especially looking for a few Friday cooks that are willing to cook and bring hot, delicious comfort foods and to participate in the potluck with the people we serve, helping us to create an atmosphere of encouragement. Cooks are reimbursed for the cost of the meals. If you are interested, email back, and I'll send you the full volunteer job description!

Thank you all...I love every single one of you!