Letter from the Executive Director

Summer 2025

Dear Friends of Stone Soup Café,

There’s something about summer that brings out the best in us— I can feel it at the Café. Our Saturday meal feels like a celebration of what’s possible when we care for one another. So far this year, we’ve served over 14,000 meals and shared another ~2,500 meals by donating our leftovers to other meal programs.

With summer harvests rolling in, the Café is brimming with the season’s abundance. The team of volunteers at our Community Store are welcoming almost 100 shoppers each week—offering beautiful produce from local farms and high-quality pantry items that we've purchased specifically to meet the needs of our guests. Earlier this spring, Community Soup Nights were a roaring success. It made my heart sing to see the dining room filled with people eating together again! Thank you to everyone who joined us. I look forward to Soup Nights returning again in October on the 3rd Monday of every month.

We’ve also had a few joyful surprises this season. One came from the 5th graders at Greenfield Middle School, who raised over $860 in their end-of-year “Penny Wars” and chose Stone Soup Café as the recipient of their donation. We were so delighted by their generosity!

And now, the big news...

We’re getting ready for our 20th Annual Harvest Supper, happening Saturday, August 23rd, from 4–7:30 PM on the Greenfield Town Common. Twenty years! It’s shaping up to be a truly special anniversary gathering. Harvest Supper is a community-wide, pay-what-you-can feast, featuring local ingredients from 50+ farms, live music, and family fun. It’s a tradition started by the late Juanita Nelson, and we are proud to carry it forward.

I like to think of Harvest Supper as a surprise party. I never know what ingredients our local farmers will donate, so the menu is always a bit of a mystery. I don’t know who I’ll sit next to, or what conversations will unfold—but that’s the magic of it all. If you’re ready to be surprised and delighted, I hope you'll RSVP and join us for the Harvest Supper. Pay-what-you-can for your meal, and maybe even pay-it-forward to help nourish others. (If you'd like to volunteer, you’ll receive a link with more information after you RSVP.)

If you have stories from past Harvest Suppers, we’d love to hear them. We’re collecting memories to celebrate the 20 years of this event. Record your memories here. For a taste of Harvest Supper history, watch this throwback video from over 10 years ago! -- https://vimeo.com/75703577

Lastly, I want to share how proud I am of our team. With four new staff members and a supportive, engaged board, there’s a fresh energy in the Café. We’re finding new rhythms, solving problems creatively, and stepping up for each other in meaningful ways. And you—our volunteers, supporters, and neighbors—are a part of that team. We couldn’t do any of this without you. Sharing meals on Saturday, chopping vegetables on Friday afternoons— this is what community looks like.

With gratitude and hugs,

Kirsten Levitt
Executive Director, Stone Soup Café

P.S. We’re always looking for extra hands on Fridays and Saturdays. Especially in the summer! If you’ve been curious about getting involved, now’s the time to jump in. We'd love to have you. Sign up to volunteer.

P.P.S You may have seen our volunteers selling homemade gluten-free baked goods at the Greenfield Farmers’ Market recently! We’ll be there on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays through October—come say hi and enjoy a treat!

Good Stuff You Might’ve Missed

  • Food insecurity is rising in our region - Greenfield Recorder, July 2025. Stone Soup Café has already seen 159 new families join us this year to get pay-what-you-can groceries and meals. It's only expected to get worse.

  • Malerie Interviews: Kirsten Levitt - Greenfield Community Television, May 2025. In this GCTV interview, Stone Soup Café’s director Kirsten Levitt shares how the Café grew from a small meal into a vibrant community hub serving 600+ meals a week. She reflects on its roots in dignity and connection, and her hopes for an even more nourishing future.

  • Did you know that 1 in 6 people with celiac disease face food insecurity? Stone Soup Café has recently connected with the National Celiac Association and is excited to share their resources with you! Check out The Complete Guide to Gluten-Free Living and a Thrifty Gluten-Free Cookbook! [Download them here.]

  • Stone Soup Café received a Florence Bank Customer Choice Award! Stone Soup Café was spotlighted, as this was our first year winning. Your 61 votes translated into a $2,257 grant. Let’s do it again! Voting is open for 2025. [Read more and VOTE!]

Thank you to our 2025 Sponsors!

Local businesses are showing up! We're so grateful for the support we received this spring:

  • Franklin First Federal Credit Union helped subsidize every meal we served in April.
  • Greenfield Cooperative Bank sponsored the Community Store in May (and hosted an incredibly successful food drive!).
  • In June, All States Materials Group pitched in to support the Community Store operations.

Posted: to Community Newsletter on Tue, Jul 15, 2025
Updated: Tue, Jul 15, 2025