A rock-solid program
Stone Soup Suppers celebrates 20 years of serving up hope
Stone Soup Suppers, a mission of five Newport churches, is celebrating its 20th year of serving weekly hot meals to the local community.
St. Stephen Episcopal Church initiated Stone Soup Suppers in mid-2004 when the church received a grant from the Diocese of Oregon’s Fund for the Poor and Hungry. The Vicar’s Report for 2004 stated the program “serves those who are hungry (and Lincoln County is one of the hungriest in the state).” The report goes on to mention that the program “has brought together people from different faith communities” referencing the original churches who came together to meet this need. The 2005 Annual Report of the Senior Warden of St. Stephen's notes that, “In its first full year…Stone Soup Suppers has proven that it is fulfilling a need in our community by serving a nutritious meal each Monday night for homeless and hungry individuals.” St. Stephen's vicar, The Reverend Dr. Judith Jones observed, “It is rare for a church to begin a mission that lasts 20 years much less one that has multiple partners."
Today teams from Atonement Lutheran Church and St. Stephen's (Newport) Sacred Heart Parish (Newport/Siletz), First Presbyterian Church of Newport, and Central Coast Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (Newport) take weekly turns preparing meals. Some volunteers have been with the program from the beginning while others are more recent. According to Evelyn Brookhyser, since the beginning of Stone Soup the Sacred Heart Parish team members have been involved as homage to St. Ignatia who espoused caring for the poor, as well as to help St. Stephen’s have a successful program. Some folks participate to give back to their community. Others volunteer for the fellowship with their friends. Still others help because food is a love language for them. Volunteer participation ranges from creating the menu, chopping vegetables, cooking, packaging meals, handing out meals, to washing the pots and pans when food service is over.
Stone Soup served its first meals on Oct. 25, 2004 and, for 20 years, has continued to provide hot nutritious meals for the homeless and food insecure almost every Monday night. Each week a volunteer cooking team converges on St. Stephen's tiny kitchen to prepare and serve an average of 150 hot meals. While COVID-19 put a kibosh on sit-down dining, after a period of take-away only meals served from the door of the parish hall door, guests may now choose to eat at the church in the Fellowship Hall. Most families choose to take meals to eat at home while other folks pick up meals for those who are unable to come to the meal site in person.
The program serves a diverse population of all ages, races and family make-up. While a portion of guests are unhoused, Stone Soup also serves the underemployed, the working poor, senior citizens, veterans and other folks who have food insecurity. Guests range in age from young children to more than 90 years old and the program receives referrals from the SNAP program office, Food Share, and other county social service agencies. K, a retiree, says that the weekly meal at Stone Soup means that she does not run out of food during the last week of the month as there is little left of her Social Security check after paying rent, utilities, insurance, and other necessary bills. Several veterans stop by weekly to socialize and take a hot meal home. R, a young single working mother, depends on Stone Soup for an occasional meal for her family when an unexpected expense wreaks havoc on her budget. Many of our guests are among the employed homeless, such as D, who was unable to afford his apartment rent after a hefty rate increase.
The need for Stone Soup continues to grow. According to a recent report by The Ford Family Foundation, Lincoln County ranks sixth in the state for the number of residents who have limited or uncertain access to adequate food. In 2022, Stone Soup served 3,477 meals. That number skyrocketed to 6,245 in 2023. In addition to meals served at St. Stephen's, Stone Soup volunteers provided cooked meals to the Newport Shelter during the 2023-2024 season when food was available after service. The need continues to rise in 2024, with some weeks exceeding 200 meals. If numbers continue to track, Stone Soup will serve nearly 8,000 meals this year.
Stone Soup is grateful for the support that has made it possible to provide service to the community during the past 20 years. Food Share of Lincoln County has provided thousands of pounds of food to prepare each week. We are grateful to the Oregon Community Foundation for their continued grant support which has sustained the program. Many thanks to the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners who recognized the work Stone Soup does by awarding the program a Nonprofit Social Service Agency Grant this year. We thank our member churches and our volunteers for their dedication to Stone Soup. And, finally, we thank the small team of visionaries who recognized a need and brought Stone Soup to fruition.
Stone Soup Suppers has been at the forefront attempting to meet the growing needs of people in the community who have food insecurity. A staunch contingent of volunteers from the program's five cooperative churches ensure that this amazing legacy of weekly hot meals continues. Stone Soup — fighting hunger for 20 years.
Stone Soup Suppers serves hot meals from the kitchen at St. Stephen's on Monday evenings from 5 to 6 pm. Anyone needing a meal is welcome. St. Stephen's Episcopal Church is located at the corner of SW 9th Street and Hurbert Street.
If you are interested in helping Stone Soup continue to thrive, please email saint.stephens.newport@gmail.com.