July 20, 2026 newsletter

Good morning! What a gorgeous weekend, the type that all of us except for extreme heat-lovers just live for. Mike and I are going to try to extend the weekend a little bit this afternoon after I get all of the paperwork done. This particular part of the paperwork...writing the weekly letter...is pure joy for me, since I get to share with you all of the amazing things that you are enabling us to accomplish in the lives of our friends and community.

There are actually so many small (and a couple of big) things to share with you today that this whole letter could be an episode of One Small Thing! So I'll leave off the title and just tell you as much as I can remember about the blessings we've experienced this past week.

• Ayer Police Department is going to be holding the annual food drive for us in the month of August, where you can drop off pantry items at the Police Station. In addition, APD and Ayer-Shirley-Groton Rotary Club will be holding a Fill-a-Cruiser event on Sunday August 9, from 10 to 1 at Ayer Shop 'n Save.
  
  
• Mich + Bill H fixed our door bell :-)
  
  
• Garden season is in full swing, and local growers are sharing. Don't forget about the Garden Gleaners ( rachelsunflower01432 at gmail dot com ) if you could use a hand.
  
  
• We also had a record number of guests last Friday evening for our potluck.
  
  
• One of our dear friends made it possible for us to have a giant birthday party for all of our Friday night guests. Everyone was surprised and delighted.
  
  
• Speaking of delighted, the homemade cookies continue to make our pantry guests feel loved.
• Our friend Justin M showed up with cakes galore from Bake'N Joy. They made a nice addition to our bread bags on Saturday!
  
  
• Our first annual (we hope!) Cops and Cones event is all set for August 19, 7-8pm. A flyer is attached...would you share it and come celebrate with us?

If you want to volunteer to help with Fill-a-Cruiser, or with anything else, just email me! We may need some extra help delivering, sorting, and boxing the donations like we did last November. It was actually a really fun atmosphere and was finished very quickly! If you are able to shop for us this week, we would gratefully take any items from our complete pantry list. Please email me if you need that list 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

Please enjoy this beautiful day, and as always, thank you so much for your loving support of our community!