Stone Soup Kitchen Ministries

Many thanks to Alltown Fresh for inviting us to be a Food Partner in Ayer! Pictures will follow, once we get started! ❤️

  We had a visit from our friend Ed Gordon today at the pantry. He came to present us with a wonderful grant from the Harvard Lions Club to support our (extremely!) popular Coffee Bar. Thank you so much to all of them! ❤️   

  Many thanks to the Ayer/Shirley Daisy Troop 63239 who donated boxes and boxes of Girl Scout cookies for us to give away at our next Saturday pantry session! Everyone loves a good Girl Scout cookie 💖

  Click for larger version The wonderful Ayer Library is teaming up with us again this year to provide our community with warm clothing. Stop by Youth Services, take a ticket off the tree return with mittens and warm items to hang back up!  Ayer Library 26 East Main Street Ayer MA  01432

  If you want to donate, here is our link and QR Code: https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/EWSY36BFNX9H2 PLEASE DO NOT USE ANY PAYMENT PLATFORM THROUGH THIS QR CODE OTHER THAN PAYPAL OR YOUR OWN CREDIT/DEBIT CARD, ESPECIALLY NOT ***VENMO*** Checks can be sent to Stone Soup Kitchen at 21 Washington St, Suite C, Ayer MA 01432. For a list of our current needs or to find out about volunteering, please email stonesoupkitchenministries at gmail dot com.  We are able to take food donations on Wednesdays from 10 to noon, Fridays from 4 to 5:30, and Saturdays from 9 to 10. If those times don't work for you, our bin at Ayer Shop n' Save is always available, but please leave us a note in your bag with your name so that we can thank you properly! Gift cards can also be purchased at Ayer Shop n' Save, and even left at the service desk if you'd like. We are a 501(c)3 charitable organization, and all donations are tax deductible.

To all those who have asked how to help during the government shutdown: thank you! 💕 You are absolutely amazing, and we really appreciate your help.  If last Saturday was any indication, we are in for a wild ride in the coming weeks.  While we do give out fresh foods, the best things for you to donate are shelf stable or monetary donations to help us buy what we need.   Because of a recent fire at the building where we are located, it is best to donate food at the Ayer Shop 'n Save grocery store  There are nails all over our parking lot because of reconstruction, and we don't want your car damaged!  If you want to make a monetary donation, here is our link and QR Code: https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/EWSY36BFNX9H2 PLEASE DO NOT USE ANY PAYMENT PLATFORM THROUGH THIS QR CODE OTHER THAN PAYPAL OR YOUR OWN CREDIT/DEBIT CARD, ESPECIALLY NOT ***VENMO*** Even though it makes us feel like dinosaurs, we are also very happy to receive checks! Stone Soup Kitchen ...

We are thrilled to be able to offer this free concert to our community! Harmony & Hope: Feeding Our Neighbors with Music Sunday, September 21 at 4:00 Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church 21 Washington Street, Ayer Please park in the lot off of Newton Street, and walk up Washington Street to the second blue door. The concert is free, but if you are able to make a donation to help support our dinners and pantry, we would be grateful.  

On Saturday, August 9, the Rotary Club of Ayer, Shirley, Harvard, and Devens sponsored a "Fill a Cruiser" event, along with the A yer Police Department and the Shirley Police Department .  It was a beautiful sunny day, not too hot for a change, and the results were truly inspiring!  Our thanks go out to Ayer Shop 'n Save too, for allowing the group to use their parking lot.   We are so grateful to the community for coming out to support this effort.  It comes in the middle of the 5th Annual Ayer Police August Food Drive : during the month of August each year, the Police Station collects canned and packaged foods for Stone Soup Kitchen in their lobby.  Since the Station is open 24/7, this is an extremely important event each year, which gets the food pantry through the food drought of each summer.  Here are some pictures to help you enjoy the event!  Thank you so much to all our friends at Rotary, APD, and SPD for their time and effort in pullin...

  We're not aiming for "pretty", but full shelves certainly "spark joy"! Your donations are always welcome. If you can't visit us during our open hours, there's a bin at Ayer Shop n' Save where non-perishable, IN-DATE food can be left. Please put a note in your bag with your name so that we know whom to thank! ❤️ Our regular hours for donations: Wednesdays from 10 to noon, Fridays from 4 to 5:30pm, and Saturdays from 9 to 10am.

  Checks can be sent to Stone Soup Kitchen at 21 Washington St, Suite C, Ayer MA 01432.   For a list of our current needs, please email stonesoupkitchenministries @ gmail. com (remove the spaces). We are able to take food donations on Wednesdays from 10 to noon, Fridays from 4 to 5:30, and Saturdays from 9 to 10. Wednesdays are the best days for deliveries. If those times don't work for you, the bin at Ayer Shop n' Save is always available, but please leave us a note in your bag with your name so that we can thank you properly. It's important to us! Gift cards can also be purchased at Ayer Shop n' Save, and even left at the service desk if you'd like (please sign them so we can thank you!).   We are a 501(c)3 charitable organization, and all donations are tax deductible.

  😍Thank you thank you thank you😍  to Sarah Pileeki, Carla Pileeki Fernandes, and the LCE (Leominster Center of Excellence) school! Our dinner and pantry guests will be thrilled to receive these fantastic care packages ❤️

We had a wonderful visit with our friends Jennifer and Sharon from Greater Lowell Community Foundation yesterday. They came to bring us holiday cheer and some much-needed advice too! We appreciate them so much! 💕 In the picture: packing crew members Kyndra and Sonja, GLCF angels Jennifer and Sharon, and crew member Melanie. Love them all!

The 3rd annual food drive conducted by our friends at the Ayer Police Department is underway and will continue through all of August 💕  Stop in the Station lobby if you'd like to donate, and leave a private comment on this post if you'd like to help transport and/or help sort the food on Wednesday mornings. Thank you, Community!

This adorable group, the Ayer Class of 1973, just had a big reunion! And do you know what they decided to do? They made a donation to Stone Soup Kitchen 💕 Oh my heart!

Sometimes while I'm traveling, I have time to think. Like when I'm stuck in an airport for a few extra hours (not that that EVER happens!) Wanna hear my latest idea? It started with an idea that a lot of charities use, a donor wall. Many of you know that we already have one, although it's hidden! You came and signed the back of one of our pieces of paneling when we were renovating the dining room. Since we are a relational, not transactional organization, we had EVERYONE sign it: guests, donors, volunteers, interested community members...anyone and everyone who wanted to, was welcome to sign. It seems so much less show off-y and more community-minded to make it open to all. I need to let you all know how much I appreciate you and your support, but I don't want to use food and program funds that YOU donated to buy you all some dumb little token that you don't even want, like pens or mugs or calendars. In fact, I googled “gifts from charities,” and it seems t...

  How sweet is this? 💕💕💕 Michael's monetary donation was a part of a food drive held by the First Parish Church in Groton.  Our friend Donnie F mobilized her justice warrior youth to collect food for us, and we thank them greatly for their generosity and care!

We have had some very busy weekends recently and are in need of some restocking!  If you want to shop for us or run a food drive, please contact us directly for a full list of what we stock.  You can leave a comment here with your email or other contact info (it will not be published), or you can email us at stonesoupkitchenministries at gmail dot com.   Thank you 💕   We also send out a Monday morning email newsletter each week that keeps you informed of upcoming programs and events, and the Top 5 (or so) items we are most in need of. Let us know if you'd like to be on the mailing list!

Every Monday morning, I send out an email to let everyone know what's going on: what events are coming up, pictures from ones that just passed, and what our needs are for the pantry or for volunteers.  There is never any obligation, and it is mailed bcc of course, for your privacy!  If you're not receiving this newsletter and would like to, just comment here on this post with your email address.  All comments are moderated, so your info will be kept private.  

  Online donations can be made at this link  or at the QR code: PLEASE DO NOT USE ANY PAYMENT PLATFORM THROUGH THIS QR CODE OTHER THAN PAYPAL OR YOUR OWN CREDIT/DEBIT CARD, ESPECIALLY NOT ***VENMO*** Checks can be sent to Stone Soup Kitchen at 21 Washington Street, Suite C, Ayer MA 01432.   For a list of our current needs, please email stonesoupkitchenministries @ gmail. com (remove the spaces). We are able to take food donations on Wednesdays from 10 to noon, Fridays from 4 to 5:30, and Saturdays from 9 to noon. Wednesdays are the best days for deliveries. If those times don't work for you, the bin at Ayer Shop n' Save is always available, but please leave us a note in your bag with your name so that we can thank you properly. It's important to us! Gift cards can also be purchased at Ayer Shop n' Save, and even left at the service desk if you'd like (please sign them so we can thank you!).   We are a 501(c)3 charitable organization, and all donatio...