BEYOND CHARITY: THE FUTURE OF MUTUAL AID DINING

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Jansyn Thaw
Stone Soup Café
Email: info@thestonesoupcafe.org
Phone: 413-475-0072
Website: https://thestonesoupcafe.org

BEYOND CHARITY: THE FUTURE OF MUTUAL AID DINING
Stone Soup Café in Greenfield, MA, Models a Radical Shift in How We Feed Our Communities

Greenfield, MA - April 10th 2025 - In a cultural moment defined by rising food insecurity, social isolation, and growing economic gaps, one café in Western Massachusetts is offering a bold alternative: Pay-What-You-Can dining. Every Saturday, the Stone Soup Café in Greenfield serves more than 600 scratch-cooked, gourmet meals on a pay-what-you-can basis.

But this is not a soup kitchen. Stone Soup Café is part of a growing national movement that's redefining how communities come together to eat, care for each other, and thrive.

"We don't do charity-we do solidarity," says Kirsten Levitt, Executive Director of Stone Soup Café. "Everyone deserves dignity. Everyone deserves nutritious food. Everyone deserves a seat at the table."

Founded in 2010, Stone Soup is one of the oldest mutual aid cafes in the country, bringing together families, elders, artists, workers, students, and people experiencing housing insecurity for delicious, nutritious meals and community. Volunteers cook, serve, and even deliver the meals, and guests pay what they can (or not at all). Many ingredients are donated by over 30 local farms and food producers, or acquired through the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts. People participate in the pay-what-you-can model through financial sponsorship, volunteering, advocacy, or skills sharing.

Board Member, Michael Phillips says "Pay-what-you-can works when the community is invested in making it work. We believe that everyone has something to offer; and that everyone has value to add to our efforts. Everyone is welcome."
The result? Radical hospitality. A welcoming, joyful, and just food experience.
Stone Soup Café offers a working blueprint for what an alternative food system might look like. It's a model rooted in abundance, not scarcity; relationships, not transactions.

And it's catching on.

"We hear from other organizations across the country who want to borrow from this model, and share their own amazing ideas," says Development Director, Jansyn Thaw. "Solidarity Economies offer an exciting way forward regardless of a person's ideology. In these times of so much division, Mutual Aid brings people together and builds community. It's all about Community Care."

In addition to its Saturday meals, Stone Soup Café also operates aCommunity Store-a pay-what-you-can grocery store open during meal service, the store offers groceries, household essentials, and personal care items to anyone who needs them. Guests are invited to take what they need and pay what they can, fostering the same spirit of mutual aid, dignity, and reciprocity that defines the café. The Community Store extends the café's mission beyond the once a week meal-ensuring that nourishment and care are accessible all week long.

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Stone Soup Café is available for interviews, media features, and collaboration with journalists covering:
Food insecurity and dignity-based solutions
Mutual aid and solidarity economies
Rural innovation and community resilience
Sustainable and inclusive food systems
Volunteerism and grassroots leadership

Photos, video content, and personal stories available upon request.
About Stone Soup Café

Contact: Jansyn Thaw
Stone Soup Café
399 Main Street, Greenfield, MA 01301
Email: info@thestonesoupcafe.org
Phone: 413-475-0072
Website: https://thestonesoupcafe.org

Stone Soup Café is a pay-what-you-can community café in Greenfield, MA, serving scratch-made, delicious meals every Saturday. The café is powered by volunteers, community partnerships, and the belief that everyone deserves good food and dignity. Learn more at https://thestonesoupcafe.org.

This release was published on openPR.