Farmers' Generosity Benefits Local Soup Kitchen

This year, vendors at the have volunteered to donate a portion of their weekly harvests to a local community soup kitchen, The Dwelling Place.

Fresh food donations are collected from market vendors near the close of market each Saturday, and delivered later that afternoon to the soup kitchen, where they are either used in the dinner or given to patrons to take home.  

The Dwelling Place, which operates out of the United Methodist Church in Woburn, has been an anchor for food and friendship for over two decades, and is presently the only soup kitchen serving those in Winchester, Woburn, Wilmington and Burlington. They offer hot dinners on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, year round. 

To date, over 70,000 meals have been served.  

The Dwelling Place was founded in 1987 by a group of clergy and laity who wanted to focus on hunger at the local level. It is completely funded and operated by local churches, businesses and individuals from Woburn and surrounding towns, and receives no public aid or grant money. 

Each dinner is prepared, served and paid for by a different group of volunteers. 

This year’s volunteers include the and (Winchester), Hope Christian Church (Burlington) and Burlington Presbyterian Church, Wilmington United Methodist Church, North Congregational Church (Woburn), the Greek Orthodox Church (Woburn), St. Charles Church (Woburn), the United Methodist Church (Woburn), and the Social Capital Youth Initiative (Woburn), First Congregational Church (Woburn), one business group, a Hindu group, occasional scout groups, and one family.  

With the downturn in the economy, Dwelling Place volunteers and patrons need more fresh produce. Not only is there an increase in those needing assistance, but volunteers are having more difficulty meeting the financial obligations of funding a meal.  

If you are interested in volunteering with this project, please contact Shelley Ayervais at sayervais@yahoo.com. Or to support the Dwelling Place with a contribution, checks may be made out to The Dwelling Place, and mailed to the Dwelling Place in care of the United Methodist Church, 523 Main St., Woburn, MA 01801.