GREENFIELD — Stone Soup Cafe invites the community to celebrate two decades of local farms, food justice and togetherness during the 20th annual Harvest Supper.
The pay-what-you-can community meal will be held on the Greenfield Common from 4 to 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 23. The more than 1,000 guests that are expected to attend this year’s event can look forward to a chef-prepared meal with ingredients donated by more than 50 local farms and producers from across the Pioneer Valley.
“The Harvest Supper is about neighbors showing up for each other,” Stone Soup Cafe Executive Director and Chef Kirsten Levitt said in a statement. “There’s nothing else quite like it.”
The Harvest Supper was created by civil rights and peace activist Juanita Nelson. She and her husband, Wally Nelson, moved to Deerfield in 1974 to practice organic farming, and together they co-founded the Greenfield Farmers Market and the Valley Community Land Trust.
After her husband died in 2002, Nelson sought another way to give back to the community, and in 2005, she and a group of volunteers held the first “Free Harvest Supper of Locally Grown Food.”
“Juanita planted that seed of an idea on the fertile ground of the community. Many of us helped nurture that seed into the annual free Harvest Supper each August,” Mary McClintock, one of the original volunteer organizers, said in a statement.
The meal was originally prepared by Chef Maggie Zaccara and Evelyn Wulfkuhle of Hope & Olive. The volunteer organizing committee, under Nelson’s leadership, ensured that farm-fresh vegetables, products and proteins were delivered to the chefs, who then prepared the food in their kitchens while welcoming volunteers into their dining room to help chop vegetables. After Nelson died in 2015 at the age of 91, Stone Soup Cafe took over planning the event the following year.
“I’ve been involved for the last 14 years and I think some of my favorite memories were sitting at the table with Juanita and getting to celebrate her,” Levitt said in an interview.
Levitt said it was an honor being trusted with the event, and she still remembers the smiles the original organizers had on their faces the first year that Stone Soup Cafe took over.
“The baton was passed to me by the original organizers and that was a beautiful memory, being trusted to carry out their dreams,” Levitt said in an interview. “I can still see them and their smiles when I close my eyes.”
The meal is cooked and served by a team of more than 150 volunteers, according to Levitt. She said she loves getting a chance to catch up with old friends at the meal, as well as working alongside her neighbors to serve attendees.
“Every ingredient counts, especially you.”
Stone Soup Cafe Executive Director and Chef Kirsten Levitt
“Whether you’re a longtime neighbor or new to town,” Levitt said in a statement, “you are welcome here. You belong here. This meal is for all of us.”
Originally, monetary donations to the free Harvest Supper were used to fund farmers market coupons that were distributed to local food pantries to provide equitable access to local produce and help drive more business to the farmers market. Once the statewide Healthy Incentives Program (HIP) was created in 2017, farmers market coupons were no longer needed. Now, any extra proceeds from the event help subsidize Stone Soup Cafe’s weekly meal program, which feeds more than 600 residents each Saturday.
Part of the Harvest Supper tradition involves seeing familiar faces in the serving line. Special guests at this year’s meal will include Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources Commissioner Ashley Randle and state Sen. Jo Comerford, D-Northampton, who will join in serving food alongside local neighbors.
“The annual Harvest Supper is a catalyst for bringing the community together to celebrate local farms, food system businesses and the importance of food security,” Randle, a Deerfield native, said in a statement. “The event exemplifies MDAR’s mission, which is to cultivate a robust and equitable agricultural economy, promote a safe and resilient food system, and preserve a healthy environment for Massachusetts farmers, animals and consumers.”
To ensure residents have access to a fresh, healthy meal, the Harvest Supper is a pay-what-you-can meal supported by community donations and sponsors such as Greenfield Savings Bank and Greenfield Cooperative Bank. Levitt said the event costs upwards of $15,000 to produce, and while many local farmers are generous in their donations of meats, fruits and vegetables, Stone Soup Cafe still needs to buy about $8,000 in ingredients to feed all the attendees, as well as pay performers and cover other fees such as equipment rental and sound engineering.
“We’re $3,000 shy of our goal and we’re starting to feel like we’ll get there,” Levitt said Wednesday.
In the spirit of sustainability, attendees are encouraged to bring their own plates and utensils. Compostable dishware will also be available.
In addition to the meal, Levitt said attendees can enjoy musical performances, including by the Twice As Smart children’s choir, the Prone to Mischief Brass Band and Annie Hassett.
Festivities will also include arts and crafts, face painting, hula hooping and a chance to share memories from the Harvest Supper over the years. Stone Soup Cafe had been soliciting memories and stories ahead of time to display at the supper, and received about 12 submissions. Levitt said there will also be a tent set up with a camera for people to share their stories then and there.
This year, Stone Soup Cafe is introducing an RSVP system to help prepare more thoughtfully and build support. Anyone who RSVPs will receive a free Stone Soup Cafe sticker at the event. Suggested donations are $10 for a discounted meal, $25 for the full cost of the meal, and $50 or more to pay it forward and help pay for others’ meals. Those who donate $50 or more will receive a custom Harvest Supper bamboo utensil set.
Levitt said attendees are encouraged to RSVP in advance, but it is not required to attend. People can show up on the day of the event and will still be welcomed.
“Every ingredient counts, especially you,” Levitt said.
For more information, to RSVP or to donate, visit www.thestonesoupcafe.org.
