Franklin County’s Needs

Food insecurity in Franklin County affects 9 – 15% of the population. There is no perfect model for measuring this condition however agencies such as the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, Community Action Pioneer Valley, and Feeding America all provide reports regarding food insecurity, community needs, and impact analysis of being in need of food.

The economy may be improving since the Great Recession, but the recovery is still leaving many Americans who were hit the hardest behind. Millions of people are still struggling to get by because of underemployment, stagnant wages, and rising costs of living. (Feeding America 2018)

Hunger threatens our nation’s future

Many people facing hunger are forced to make tough choices between buying food and medical bills, food and rent, and/or food and transportation. This struggle goes beyond harming an individual family’s future, it can harm us all. (Feeding America 2018)

What is food insecurity?

Food security is a federal measure of a household’s ability to provide enough food for every person in the household to have an active, healthy life. Food insecurity is one way we can measure the risk of hunger. (Feeding America 2018)

What the Stone Soup Café Does to Meet our Community’s Needs:

While providing healthy meals for the community anchors most of the Café’s activities, as an organization we have more transformative goals in mind.

We strive to create a safe space where all members of our community are valued, where each person’s inherent worth and dignity is celebrated, and that all of our guests have the opportunity to participate in our meal and offerings.

Embracing the tenets of the Zen Peacemakers—the original founders of the Café’s weekly meal—we approach all of our community-building efforts with the spirit of loving kindness.

Read all about the Café’s offerings here.