Building Community & Sharing Food

Last week I wrote about all of the local foods that we've been using in our cooking. This week I'm thinking about a different kind of local...where food and community intersect.

SCENE 1:
On Monday, Amy joined the last leg of the 34-mile Martin Luther King Walk to Stop the Kinder Morgan Pipeline. Over the 3 days, nearly 300 different individuals joined together in the bitter cold to chant, sing, and march together. There were abundant food offerings along the way from countless individuals and organizations to feed the hungry marchers, culminating in a most impressive banquet at the Village Church in Cummington. Local supporters laid out a feast that took many tables to hold and wide eyes and grateful hearts to behold. (click here for a story from Mass Live).

SCENE 2:
Our dear friend from Rowe, Prue Berry, asked me to help feed local residents attending a conference titled “Listening for a Change: Sacred Conversations about Racial Justice” at the Federated Church in Charlemont. These people are taking time out of their busy lives to listen to and talk with their friends and neighbors about racial justice. When I arrived with food, the kitchen at the church was busy, focused, and joyful..many hands were laying out a feast of foods prepared by supporters. Soup will be passed and bread broken as stories are shared about the prevalence of racism in ourselves, our towns, our communities.

SCENE 3:
Shortly after dropping off food at the Charlemont Church, I arrived at the Ashfield Congregational Church with food for the 5th of 8 performances of the stunning play, "Breastless". (Click here for a review by Chris Rohmann of the Valley Advocate). After laughing and crying through the one-hour performance, we thought some refreshments would help attendees ease into informal conversations with their friends and neighbors as they discussed their thoughts and feelings about this powerful play. Tears of gratitude were shed for the courage and vulnerability to share a personal and universal story of hardship and grace and for the power of nurturing food offered with love.

SCENE 4:
Alice's Kitchen received 3 requests last week to provide meals for 3 different individuals in our community undergoing medical challenges. All of the donors wanted to find a tangible way to nurture and care for their friend/loved one.

Once again, I'm deeply moved by the blessing of our local community where difficult issues are talked about frankly, courageously, and with respect; people "walk their talk"; and love is expressed with the gift of food. How blessed we are.

Community Supported Foods Members: click here for this week's menu
A La Carte customers: click here for this week's menu.

Please visit our website at www.aliceskitchenathoneyhill.com for further information on all our programs. We have many ideas about how Alice's Kitchen can help build and serve our hilltown community. We're excited to share our resources in a myriad of ways. Stay tuned for more details and let us know how we can best serve.

It is a joy to provide delicious, nourishing, and beautiful foods, prepared with care and love, for our community.