February Community Offerings & Volunteer Spotlight!
Oh, hello! We just wanted to let you know about a few things!
First of all, we'd like to celebrate these two volunteers who have been showing up to deliver meals every Saturday since June 2020! WOW! Thanks, Pamela & Donna! Here's a little interview with them:
Every Saturday, these two friends Pamela McBride and Donna Mollard, roll up to Stone Soup Café eager to load up their car to the brim with hot meals and deliver them around the community.
Pamela has been a volunteer at Stone Soup Café for about 3 years. “I was looking to help the community, and the Café seemed like a good fit...and it is! It is such a beautiful way to connect with our community - I love the interaction, the smiles, the conversation, and knowing I am making a small but positive differences.” In pre-COVID times, Pamela helped out in the Front of House, serving meals and interacting with guests. Now, delivering meals on Saturday is one of the highlights of her week, but she says it’s hard not to interact with people face-to-face like she used to.
Outside of Stone Soup, Pamela works in Information Services at the Greenfield Public Library. She’s also an avid reader, gardener, knitter, and in the last year, an enthusiastic walker. Donna used to run a local bed and breakfast, and now she works at a local cleaning company. She also helps out her neighbors with whatever they may need: “We all take good care of each other,” she says.
“It is our pleasure to deliver your amazing food made with so much love,” says Donna, “We love seeing how happy and appreciative people are when we leave their meals for them. It keeps us connected to our wonderful community.”
Community Happenings:
- Our monthly virtual Café hangout is coming up! Many of you have wondered what recipes we use, how we plan our menus, or even simply how to cut an onion like a pro! Chef Kirsten bares all this Sunday at 6:30pm during our Zoom Hangout! Ask the Chef everything you ever wanted to know about flavors, recipes, and how the meals come together every Saturday. Pop in!
- Stone Soup Café is hosting a book club! We'll be reading "Mutual Aid: Building Solidarity During This Crisis (and the Next)" by Dean Spade, a trans lawyer/activist/organizer who has been working to build queer and trans liberation based in racial and economic justice. This first book club session will be facilitated by Boone Shear, board member of Stone Soup Café and professor of Anthropology at UMass. It will be low pressure, low stakes, with lots of room for us to share ideas and then come up with some potential next steps! All you need to do is show up having read some or all of the book. (It's a short one, don't worry!). Our discussion will take place virtually on Sunday, March 7th at 6:30pm. Email us if you'd like more info!
- Check out this 30-minute HIP Outreach Training that CISA is hosting -- happening TOMORROW at noon via Zoom. Many SNAP recipients don't realize they have access to HIP benefits, and don't take advantage of this great opportunity to get fresh fruits and vegetables for free! It's good to know about if you're talking to anyone who uses food stamps! It's such a great benefit, and totally underused! Register for the little free workshop here, or just pop into the Zoom call at 12pm tomorrow: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85444366131
And as always, sign up to volunteer!
That's all for now!
Jansyn Thaw & The Stone Soup Crew
Posted: to Community Newsletter on Wed, Feb 17, 2021
Updated: Wed, Feb 17, 2021