Giving Tuesday 2019

The Stone Soup Café          

The Stone Soup Café is a pay-what-you-can gourmet hot buffet luncheon served by volunteers every Saturday afternoon in the basement of All Souls Church in downtown Greenfield.  It is the ONLY weekend community meal in Franklin County.

The Stone Soup Café attracts people from all walks of life and circumstances who cook, serve, and clean-up the meal together - and most importantly - enjoy the meal together and each other's fellowship.  Through the practice of Council, the Stone Soup Café also offers a safe space for guests to share more deeply what is on their hearts and listen from the heart. In this way we are growing a beloved community of support and compassion for our guests.

Accomplishments

The Stone Soup Café has expanded its efforts to address this growing need by:

• Serving over 160 meals each week

• Providing special meals throughout the year: 

  • Free Harvest Supper, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Passover for All

• Increasing volunteer opportunities with our additional celebration meals

• Sourcing fresh and healthy foods from local farms and producers

• Holding monthly mini Health Clinics in partnership with FCCHC

• Purchasing a new refrigerator to build food storage capacity

• Hiring an Executive Director

• Implementing  our Catering  service

In addition to serving its Saturday meal, Stone Soup Café continues to educate our community about the food security crisis in our area.  We are members of the Hunger Task Force of Franklin County and the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts.  We have presented at local conferences and shared our resources on hunger at community gatherings.  We have brought "Cooking Matters" classes to our Café to help educate our community about healthy eating.

Access to nutritious food is a basic human right.  The Stone Soup Café is meeting that need by creating a delicious, nutritious gourmet meal each and every Saturday.  Our excess raw food is given away to our guests so that they can share in the bounty of our county.   Hunger rates in Western Massachusetts are six times higher than the statewide average. The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts reports that in 2017-18 it distributed a record 11.2 million pounds, or the equivalent of nearly 9.6 million meals, to over 225,000 people including hungry children, families, seniors, and disabled individuals throughout the four counties of Western Massachusetts. 

In 2019, the Stone Soup Café needs your help to meet rising needs.  Our goal is to raise $15,000 so that we can:

• Increase the number of meals we serve on Saturdays

• Offer expanded services to our guests and volunteers such as:

  • Culinary Training Classes

  • Cooking on a Budget Classes

• Continue to fund part-time staff positions

• Replace our dining room tables and chairs

Please Join Us 

The Stone Soup Café has grown in size and quality and has proven to Greenfield and Franklin County that we are committed to continue to respond to the needs of our low-income neighbors.  Our emphasis on building relationships in a setting that is personal and gracious has attracted frequent publicity and comment in town.  Last year, more than fifty local businesses contributed to our fundraiser to meet our expenses.

Join us for a delicious meal some Saturday or for our holiday meals.  Enjoy being a part of our warm and welcoming community.  Consider joining our energetic team of volunteers, or our board of directors; and tell your family and friends about how the Café is impacting the community.