GREENFIELD — Organizations across Franklin County and the North Quabbin region are stepping up to the plate to offer free meals on Thanksgiving, ensuring that residents of all means can enjoy the traditional holiday fare.
Stone Soup Cafe
Stone Soup Cafe at 399 Main St. in Greenfield will host its annual “Day of Mourning and Giving Thanks” on Thursday afternoon, beginning with a livestream of the National Day of Mourning, an event held in Plymouth that marks the suffering faced by Native Americans, from the time of the Pilgrims to present-day America.
The livestream will take place from noon to 1 p.m. in the All Souls Church sanctuary. Then, attendees will be invited to the dining room, where they can enjoy a Thanksgiving meal from 1 to 4 p.m. while the livestream continues. There is a suggested donation of $25, but the cafe also follows a pay-what-you-can system. Delivery of meals on Thursday morning is also available to those who sign up.
Stone Soup Cafe Executive Director and Chef Kirsten Levitt said she expects to serve around 400 people this year, with support from 50 to 60 volunteers. Rachel’s Table in Springfield, Clarkdale Fruit Farms in Deerfield, Diemand Farm in Wendell, Natural Roots in Conway and Just Roots in Greenfield all donated food to support the community meal.
Levitt mentioned Stone Soup Cafe is resuming use of the dining room for this year’s meal. Last year, the church sanctuary was used for dining.
“We’ve been able to turn our facility back into a dining room,” Levitt said, noting that the resumed use of the dining room has proven popular with visitors since Stone Soup Cafe started Community Soup Nights in January. “People really love the soup nights. They love being able to sit together, like we did pre-COVID.”
Along with bringing the community together, Levitt also hopes to shed light on the harrowing history of Thanksgiving.
“People are invited to sit upstairs and bear witness to the Day of Mourning,” Levitt said, “to hear the true story of Thanksgiving, about the fact that Indigenous people have been colonized and there’s been genocide.”
To learn more about Stone Soup Cafe’s event or to sign up for a delivered meal, visit thestonesoupcafe.org.
Montague Elks Lodge
The Montague Elks Lodge will serve free meals from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day at 1 Elks Ave. in Turners Falls. The meal will include turkey, mashed potatoes with gravy, stuffing, squash, cranberry sauce and rolls with butter.
Allie Cooke, exalted ruler of the Montague Elks Lodge, said residents have already signed up for more than 160 meals this year. That’s an increase from the 130 meals that were served last year, and due to the influx, the Elks are “generally not doing deliveries,” Cooke said, adding that if someone is completely unable to travel, accommodations can be made.
The Elks Lodge conducted more direct outreach for the Thanksgiving meals program this year, including working with The Heartwing Center, a social services organization in Turners Falls, which received 80 meal requests.
“We are able to put this meal on thanks to our Gratitude Grant, which we are so appreciative of,” Cooke said, referencing funding from the Elks National Foundation. “We are going to use all of the resources we have to feed as many people as we can on Thanksgiving morning.”
North Quabbin Community Coalition
The North Quabbin Community Coalition is continuing its tradition of delivering free Thanksgiving meals to those in the area who are elderly or homebound. This year, 40 volunteers will deliver 250 traditional Thanksgiving meals across all nine towns in the North Quabbin area.
Sign-ups for delivered meals closed on Nov. 21, but locals are still welcome to attend the North Quabbin Community Coalition’s William J. O’Brien Dinner, held at noon on Thanksgiving Day at the Athol American Legion at 325 Pequoig Ave. Those who are interested are welcome to drop in on Thanksgiving Day, but spots can be reserved by calling the Athol Council on Aging at 978-249-8986.
“This has been going on for many years,” said Maranda Whittier, North Quabbin Community Coalition office manager, “and we love doing it.”
Living Waters Assembly of God
Located at 450 Davis St. in Greenfield, Living Waters Assembly of God will offer a free Thanksgiving meal between 1 and 4 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.