Dear Friends,
In the folktale “Stone Soup,” weary travelers arrive at a ramshackle village where the people are so poor, they believe they have nothing to share. The travelers build a small fire, place two stones into a pot of water, and proclaim they are making a delicious stew—”though it would be better with a little celery, or perhaps a carrot, or maybe a potato!” they shout, just loud enough for the villagers to hear. Slowly, the villagers emerge from their homes, each bringing what they can spare. By the end, the whole town sits down to a feast, having discovered that when they come together, there is always more than enough for everyone.
Whenever I hear “Stone Soup,” I picture Friendly House’s own beginnings. In 1930, at the height of the Great Depression, Amelia Anderson, our first Executive Director, answered a knock at her door. Outside stood her neighbors who had lost their jobs. Their cupboards were bare, their children hungry, their hope fading. Amelia invited them in, put a pot of soup on the stove, and together they began to imagine how they could support one another. One offered extra land for a garden. Another promised to care for children while others worked the soil. Someone else mended clothes. Another cooked meals. Each person gave in the ways they could, and together they built not just a meal but a movement: a community resource where no one was left behind. That place became Friendly House.
We see this spirit alive every day. It’s in the longtime volunteer who led senior fitness classes for decades and now receives food deliveries while undergoing chemotherapy treatments. It’s in the houseless neighbor who once used our internet center to write poetry and later left Friendly House its largest bequest ever. It’s in the single mother whose children received scholarships for afterschool programs and who now gives her time to serve on our board of directors. Each act of generosity, each contribution of time, talent, or resources, strengthens the fabric of this community.
At Friendly House, we believe that resilience is resistance. In times like these—when uncertainty, fear, and division seem to dominate the headlines—our community is proof that a different story is possible. When we choose connection over isolation, inclusivity over exclusion, and generosity over scarcity, we resist the forces that would keep us apart. Together, we build something bigger than ourselves. And just like in “Stone Soup,” it only works because everyone brings what they can.
Your support is an ingredient in our shared pot. A gift to Friendly House becomes nourishment for a child in our preschool, care for an elder navigating isolation, dignity for a houseless neighbor who finds a hot shower and a cup of cocoa in our community center, and belonging for LGBTQ+ seniors who have too often been left out of the story. Every contribution—large or small—becomes part of the recipe for resilience, ensuring that no one in our village is left behind.
And because we know that food and fellowship bring us together in the most powerful way, I would like to invite you to join us at the Friendly House Community Kettle, an upcoming celebration of the very spirit of “Stone Soup.” At this special event, neighbors from all walks of life gather to share a meal, enjoy conversation, and celebrate the connections that sustain us. Just like the story, each person who shows up brings their unique selves to the table—and together, we’ll create abundance, laughter, and joy.
Please join us at the Community Kettle on October 18th from 12-2pm at Wallace Park in NW Portland to see the power of reciprocity and resilience in action.
Thank you for being part of this story, for being part of this community, and for proving that when we come together there is always enough.
With deep gratitude,
