In 2015, the First Congregational Church of Woodstock became the host site for the Monday noontime meal for Community Kitchen of Northeastern Connecticut. For decades, volunteers from our church had provided one meal each month to the North Grosvenordale site. We were asked to host the Monday meal when the United Methodist Church of North Grosvenordale closed.
Today, we collaborate with East Woodstock Congregational Church, South Woodstock Baptist Church, and Christ Church in Pomfret, each providing one meal every month at our site. We receive and distribute donated bread and baked goods from Stop & Shop and Price Chopper in Putnam and Soleil Bakery in Woodstock, produce from Big Y in Danielson, and eggs from Azuluna Farms in Woodstock.
Volunteers are central to this ministry, helping to set up and take down the dining area, serving the meals, ensuring our guests feel welcome; providing music and entertainment, washing pots and pans and dishes, and cleaning up after the meal. We are blessed with volunteer helpers from Center of Hope in Southbridge, students from Woodstock Academy, and folks from the wider community.
If you would like a nutritious noon-time meal, please feel free to stop by. We are open, weather permitting, every Monday except Memorial Day and Labor Day. All are welcome, no exceptions, no questions asked.
If you would like more information about this ministry, or if you are interested in volunteering or preparing a meal, please contact our coordinators Jennifer Duggan or Kristen Kaiser.
More about Community Kitchens
Community Kitchen of Northeastern Connecticut, Inc. is a nonprofit organization Founded in 1982, dedicated to alleviating hunger and addressing the food supply crisis in the ten-town “quiet corner” of our state. We are “Neighbors Feeding Neighbors, to reduce food insecurity, one meal at a time.”
The complete list of Community Kitchen sites that provide a free noon-time meal include the following:
- Monday here at the First Congregational Church of Woodstock
- Tuesday at the Central Village Congregational Church
- Wednesday at the United Methodist Church of Danielson
- Thursday at Creation Church in Thompson
- Friday at the Moosup United Methodist Church