Our mission is to accompany people on their journey toward financial stability and self-sufficiency.
-Stone Soup Community is a community, both in practice and in name. -Animated by personal faith and fellowship, the community is visionary, seeing a future in which all people and families can tend to their own needs and recognize their own gifts to share with the community. -The community is passionate; we believe that everyone has a contribution to make in this world.
The Stone Soup fable tells the story of a hungry traveler arriving in a town but no one offers him food. So he starts a big pot of water boiling over a fire and puts a few stones in the pot. As the townspeople become curious about the boiling stones, the traveler urges them to add their own meat and vegetables to the pot. In the end there is plenty of soup for everyone and the people have learned the magic of sharing.
We know that food is just one basic need that low-income families must address each day. Working in conjunction with food pantries allows us to offer additional services to food pantry clients and assist them in moving toward self-reliance so that they can move out of the cycle of meeting basic needs on an emergency basis.
Stone Soup Community... Chiseling away poverty: building stable lives
Stone Soup Community assisted more than 5,000 families/more than 13,000 individuals in 2008 with crisis services, emergency financial assistance for urgent needs, mentoring, case management, life skills training, job search assistance, and budget counseling.
Our services are delivered in a responsible, consistent manner without reference to gender, race, religion, ethnicity, or income. There is never a fee for any of our services. We attempt to maximize dollars in the community by networking with other agencies.
Stone Soup Community has more than 65 trained volunteers working with staff at our three locations. Their love and commitment to all people passing through our doors is at once evident, enviable, invaluable, and indispensable. Stone Soup Community also serves as a placement site for graduate and undergraduate internship and volunteer programs.
