March 2, 2026 newsletter

Good morning, and happy beginning of meteorological Spring!  Under all that snow, wonderful things are happening, but in New England we know that there's more to get through before Spring comes for real real :-)

I had a slightly different plan for this letter today, but late last night I came across the title of an article from Psychology Today that immediately caught my attention.  "We've Lost the Spaces that Foster Friendship."  I believe most of us are already aware of that.  For decades, people have been pulling back from joining clubs and other organizations, from church membership and from bowling leagues and community choirs.  Covid made it much worse, and so many of us retreated into our own little worlds, helped along by online "communities."  

These gathering spaces outside our homes are called our third spaces (first = home, second = work), and there are fewer of them all the time.  When the great withdrawal began, lots of third spaces just shut down.  Any of you who've spent time with us at Stone Soup Kitchen know that one of our two pillars is to provide such a space for people, at our dinners, our coffee bar, and any of our activities.  For many people, we provide a hangout to find connection and company, and I'm not just talking about our guests...I mean for all of us.  Because the purpose of our community-building is to break down barriers and remove the "them" from our thinking about "us and them," volunteers and guests.  

My point?  If you want to get involved with us, just reach out.  There are so many wonderful programs and classes and events we could be offering if only the talented people in our community knew we were looking to sponsor them!  There is always a seat at our table for you, anytime.  

In more news, we received an unexpected grant from our friends at the Greater Lowell Community Foundation (thank you Jennifer, Maria, and Jay!).  The first thing we've chosen to do with it is to purchase a portable wheelchair ramp that will allow access for more people to join our meals or visit our pantry.  The building we are in is old, there are no handicapped accessible entrances that we can use, and plans for building a ramp have not worked out.  Accessibility for our friends who use walkers or wheelchairs has been an issue from the start, and we are delighted to have a (hopefully temporary) solution at last. 

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One Small Thing

Our lovely friends made Valentine's Day treat bags for us to hand out, under Sarah's capable and generous leadership.  I mentioned them before, but due to the unruly weather, we actually just finished handing them out to everyone this past Saturday!  Fortunately, there is no real calendar restriction on showing love!   

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Please keep sending in those small acts of kindness...they inspire others to do their own acts more than you would think.  If you can shop for us this week, we will gratefully take anything off of our complete pantry list.  Please email me if you need it or you want our QR code for online donations.  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 do not leave food at the door outside of these hours.  The bin is always available at Ayer 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  

I love you all...have a great week!