From the Kettle - Issue #4

April & May were record months at the Café. We served 2,010 meals in April and 2,165 meals in May! That means that in the first five months of 2021 we have shared 10,236 meals with our community members.

Our Community's Free Store (recently renamed) continues to be a huge help to those in need. In April we shared grocery items with 348 people, in May we served 413 people.

As the spring rolls into summer our pantry will recieve an even greater bounty of local vegetables and products. We are so grateful to be able to share with our community.

Almost a decade ago the Stone Soup Café was born into being through a community naming process. Then executive director & founder Ariel Pliskin conceived our community as one that would support our efforts through a Pay-What-You-Can restaurant model. Today we are taking this to a new level! We are asking you to Pay-It-Forward by Paying For Your Neighbor's meals. Our goal is to have 100 meals ($1,000) a week to help us continue to serve the same quality of diverse and nutritious restaurant quality food to our community. Pay-For-A Neighbor Today!

COVID 19 restrictions are being lifted, the Massachusetts state of emergency has ended and yet there are still more that double the people in need of meals and emergency food in our county. The Stone Soup Café continues to serve all who seek our meals. We are asking you to help us reach our goal by donating, sharing, and even challenging others to help you help the Café.

This video is a powerful testimonial of our volunteers, staff, and executive director about the work of the Stone Soup Café.

We've been hard at work collaborating with many different organizations and agencies since April. We've been hosting a series of workshops on Trauma Informed Community Building facilitated by Rick Griffin of the Community Resilience Initiative. These trainings have been a fascinating experience and we are so excited to share our learnings through new community building practices with our entire community. Want to know more about this work? Check out their website at CRIresilient.org

Save the Date!!! The Harvest Supper 2021 is happening in person this year! We'll be offering a fantastic meal that highlights all the local bounty of our happy valley on Sunday, August 22, 2021 from 4 - 7 pm!

Not familiar with the Harvest Supper? It's an annual event held on the Greenfield Town Common and Square. Our chef crafts a gourmet meal of local foods, there are local musicians, children's activities, clowns & mimes, a really really free market table, raffles and so much more!

The Harvest Supper is coming in August so I thought you might like a sneak peak at a supper favorite: Turkey Peach Salad.

Maggie's Farm
Chefs' Maggie Zaccara (center) and Evelyn Whitbeck-Poorbaugh (right) of the Hope & Olive Restaurant in Greenfield created the menu for the Free Harvest Supper. This recipe for Turkey and Peach Salad included turkey donated by Diemand Farm in Wendell and peaches from Clarkdale Fruit Farms of Deerfield.

TURKEY & PEACH SALAD (Serves 6)

2 lbs cooked and diced or pulled turkey meat
1 lb peeled and diced peaches
3- stalks of diced celery
1- red onion, diced
1/2 C mixed herbs, choppped, cliantro, parsley and basil (saving some for garnish)
1/4 C cider vinegar
1/4 C mayonnaise
Salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients together in a mixing bowl; Serve either as a sandwich or on top of some nice salad greens; Garnish with peach slices and chopped herbs. (Originally published in the Greenfield Recorder.)

Upcoming Menu Themes:

• 06/19/21 - Juneteenth & Father's Day - Brunch Menu

• 06/26/21 - Great American Campout Day - A Backyard BBQ Menu

• 07/03/21 - Independence Day - All the Traditional Favorites for this Meal

• 07/10/21 - Teddy Bear Picnic Day - More Picnic Basket Delights

• 07/17/21 - Nelson Mandela Day - African Themed Meal

• 07/24/21 - National Tell an Old joke Day - For Sure a Comedicly Named Assortment of Yumminess

• 7/31/21 - National Avocado Day - Latin Themed Meal