Volunteer Spotlight!

This beautiful family – Kelsey, Ali, and their daughter Lathefa – have been volunteering at Stone Soup Café every week for almost 3 months. It’s an absolute delight to be graced with their energy and presence every Saturday!

Ali was born and raised in Casablanca, Morocco, and left in 1987 to explore New York, Austin, Boston, and eventually ended up at Earthdance, an arts residency and retreat center, where he cheffed for over 10 years. When he’s not volunteering at Stone Soup, he loves to play the handpan drum, watch historical documentaries about world history, practice the art of contact improve and martial arts, and he’s always cooking!

Kelsey grew up in Albany, NY, and went to Goucher College in Baltimore, where she studied international relations, dance, and French. When she’s not at Stone Soup Café, she loves practicing languages (Arabic, Portuguese, French, and Wolof from Senegal). She is also a movement educator and a teacher with Tinkergarten.

Lathefa is an adorable 2-year-old who loves dance parties and playing in the woods. Her name means “kind and gentle” in Arabic.

Kelsey and Ali first learned about Stone Soup Café while attending Chef Brandon and Alyssa’s baby shower. Every Saturday, they make the journey to Greenfield all the way from Plainfield MA!

Their favorite thing about the Café is that it’s such a sweet community. They feel right at home and they love seeing how everyone embraces Lathefa.

“Stone Soup feeds me and in a soulful way,” says Ali. “I stand for the mission of the whole organization and I resonate with the values.”

“It’s such a creative process of cooking – making a menu based on what we have, what we’ve been given. And it’s a shortcut to meeting a lot of diverse people!”

We are so appreciative of you three! Thanks for making our Saturday mornings brighter.