According to the story, some travelers come to a village, carrying nothing more than an empty pot. Upon their arrival, the villagers are unwilling to share any of their food stores with the hungry travelers. The travelers fill the pot with water, drop a large stone in it, and place it over a fire in the village square. One of the villagers becomes curious and asks what they are doing. The travelers answer that they are making "stone soup", which tastes wonderful, although it still needs a little bit of garnish to improve the flavor, which they are missing. The villager doesn't mind parting with just a little bit of flour to help them out, so it gets added to the soup. Another villager walks by, inquiring about the pot, and the travelers again mention their stone soup which hasn't reached its full potential yet. The villager hands them a little bit of seasoning to help them out. More and more villagers walk by, each adding another ingredient. Finally, a delicious and nourishing pot of soup is enjoyed by all.
~Source: Wikipedia
StoneSoupCommunity.com
Start a Potluck Revolution!
When the smoking ban in Ohio went into affect, a group of my friends decided to turn our dining out experiences into a weekly Sunday potluck. It wasn't really an organized or conscious decision. It just sort of happened one Sunday. We enjoyed it so much that we decided to do it again the next Sunday, and the next until it just became a regular part of our week.
While the food we share is always wonderful and often more than we can consume in one sitting, it is the conversation that keeps the group coming back each week. From gardening to the environment to human rights to politics, the conversation is always lively, often humorous and very engaging. Over the course of several months it became apparent that our Sunday potluck group is more than just a group of women who get together to share a meal. We are a community.
We have supported each other through job loss, business closures, illnesses, home improvement projects, gardening and canning, crafts, travel, relationships, good times and bad.
I was sitting on the patio one Sunday morning watching the members of the church next door interact with a young couple. This young couple was interested in attending the worship service but it was clear from the exchange that the older members of the church were not interested in having them attend. It was in that moment that the idea for the Stone Soup Community was born. I shared the story and the concept with my Sunday potluck group that afternoon.
So what is the mission of the Stone Soup Community?
What we have accomplished by accident through our Sunday potlucks we intend to do on purpose through our growing Stone Soup Community.
As the story of stone soup so eloquently describes, when each of us works alone what we accomplish is small. But as the Sunday potluck has taught us, when we work together we achieve abundance.
The Stone Soup Community will:
- Grow our Community
- Support Each Other
- Change the World
If you are reading this, you are already a part of the Stone Soup Community. Your participation is crucial to our success.
- Read the Blogs
- Post Comments
- Invite Others to Join and Participate
- Share the Site
- Donate to our cause
- Suggest topics
- Attend Events
The point is to Get Involved! Together we will discover what's possible when we work together. With your help, we will accomplish much more!