April 1, Fellowship Hall, Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church, Acton: A hot Italian dinner of ziti and meatballs, soup, bread, salad, and dessert, welcomed about seventy-five diners at the Community Supper’s weekly dinner, complete with a cake to celebrate the event’s fourteenth anniversary.
The all-volunteer program provides a hot, sit-down meal free of charge to people who may be financially challenged, or just seeking a way to chat with their neighbors, as social isolation is often an issue in the modern world. There is no “means testing”, so everyone is welcome.
Guests hail from Acton and surrounding towns, and include families, singles, groups, and seniors. There are several tables set aside for clients of Minuteman ARC in Concord, who live in five homes in the area. Takeout is delivered to some of those clients who cannot attend in person, as well as, according to the Community Supper’s flyer, “clients of Neighbor Brigade, a non-profit serving those in need of crisis intervention.” Guests have written testimonials about how they can step up from the usual canned or frozen meal, or get out to mingle with others. And they rave about how “the cooks and servers are very courteous, polite, and professional.”
Volunteers
But it takes a lot of dedicated people to make this happen. Founded in 2012 by the late Mike Tobia, Carol Graton, Betty Andrews, and Pastor Tim, the supper is now led by Jack Brophy.
Pamela “Pam” Farrill, an original volunteer and the Exchange’s host today, said there is a volunteer pool of around one hundred and twenty-five keeping the event rolling, including cooks, table servers, and clean-up staff, some coming from as far away as Marlboro and Leominster. Students from Acton-Boxborough Regional High School and R.J. Grey Junior High School prepare the tables with fresh flowers and cutlery, decorate the room, and set up the entrance table with take-home items such as donated foods and seasonal produce. They even hold umbrellas for guests entering on rainy days. Now, that’s service!
Sponsors
And it also takes money to make this happen, about $375 a week. Community Supper, which partners with the Greater Boston Food Bank, receives weekly donations from Panera Bread and Cumberland Farms. Other major donors include: Acton-Boxborough Community Compass, Acton Congregational Church, The Sudbury Foundation, the Food Project of Lincoln, The Crop Walk, and family gardens. Often a family who lost a loved one will sponsor a dinner in their honor. Tax-deductible donations are welcome at: Mt. Calvary Community Supper, P.O. Box 1125, Acton MA 01720.
Email: mtcalvarycommunitysupper@gmail.com.
Facebook: https://facebook.com/CommunitySupperofActonMA
You can find the menu for each week on the Acton Exchange Calendar.
Dinner is served every Wednesday from 4:30-5:30, with doors opening at 4:15. The main entrance and parking are off Prospect Street behind the church, which is handicap accessible, at 472 Massachusetts Ave.
The writer would like to thank Pam Farrill for hosting, and for providing the 14th Birthday flyer to the Exchange.
Jim Conboy is a volunteer writer for the Acton Exchange covering sports and community events.
