Stone Soup Café to Celebrate 21st Annual Harvest Supper

GREENFIELD — Stone Soup Café invites neighbors from across Franklin County and beyond to its 21st annual Harvest Supper on Saturday, Aug. 22 from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. on the Greenfield Town Common. Appetizers begin at 4:30 p.m., and the food tent opens at 5 p.m.

This year’s theme, “The Beet Goes On: Celebrating the Bounty of the County,” honors the farms, food producers, and community partnerships that continue to nourish Franklin County year after year.

More than 1,000 guests from near and far are expected to attend and enjoy a chef-prepared meal made almost entirely with ingredients grown and produced in Western Mass. More than 30 local farms contribute vegetables, fruit, meat, dairy, herbs, and other ingredients, making Harvest Supper one of the region’s largest celebrations of local agriculture.

“Food access for all is something we believe strongly in, and we value the community-building fostered by the meal,” said Ben Clark of Clarkdale Fruit Farm, who has been donating fruit to the event for years.

This one-of-a-kind local experience has been recognized as agritourism. Harvest Supper offers visitors an authentic ‘taste of the Valley’ experience by highlighting the farms and food businesses that feed the community and drive the local economy.

“While it’s hosted here in Greenfield, it truly elevates the agricultural culture of the whole Valley,” said Hannah Rechtschaffen, director of the Greenfield Business Assoc.

The event transforms the Greenfield Town Common into a shared dining space with 40 communal tables. More than 150 volunteers help bring the event to life by chopping vegetables, preparing food, setting tables, serving meals, welcoming attendees, and cleaning up afterward. Guests are encouraged to bring their own reusable plates and utensils to help reduce waste, though compostable dishware will also be available.

There will be live bluegrass music, banjo, and guitar from Michael Nix, Mill River Rounders, Matt Goulet, Annie Hassett, and others.

Harvest Supper remains a pay-what-you-can event, and everyone is invited. Guests are encouraged to RSVP or donate by visiting bit.ly/harvest-supper-26. Among the suggested donations, $25 covers the cost of one farm-fresh dinner, $50 pays it forward for a neighbor, $100 supports the purchase of ingredients from local farms, and $250 helps nourish an entire table of guests.

Harvest Supper is Stone Soup Café’s largest annual fundraiser. Every donation both pays for the event costs and sustains Stone Soup Café’s year-round programs, including its weekly pay-what-you-can community meal, which serves more than 600 neighbors every Saturday, and Everybody’s Community Store, which provides free groceries and household essentials.

Local business sponsors are critical to the success of this event, which can cost the café more than $15,000 to produce each year. This year’s sponsors include Greenfield Savings Bank, Dean’s Beans, His & Hers Comics, Franklin First Federal Credit Union, Greenfield Cooperative Bank, LifePath, Gravity Kit, Current Energy, United Arc, PV Squared Solar, Jamrog HVAC, and many others.