Stone Soup Café

The Stone Soup Cafe came about because of the compassion and loving concern of Rev. James and Sharron Hunter, as well as Dick Farris who was working at the time as an employment specialist for the Alaska Department of Labor. The energetic trio started their work in the early 1980s by distributing sandwiches during their lunch hour that they prepared the night before. One could see at least one of them on the corner of Second Avenue and Cushman Street every day of the week, regardless of the weather. They were there during rain, blizzard or sunshine to make certain that no one had to look for food in garbage cans and dumpsters. The Bread Line's Stone Soup Cafe is here today because of these people who paved the way and passed the baton to another dedicated group of people, the current Board of Directors who also spend countless hours to make sure that the Cafe keeps its doors open, welcoming those who depend on it to get at least one meal every day. During this challenging economy we have seen many people lose their jobs, homes, health insurance and they have found themselves not only in financial difficulty but actually not knowing if they are going to have a nutritious warm meal each day. Hard times do not discriminate and they affect a diverse cross section of the residents in the Fairbanks North Star. Our guests are adults, seniors, youths, mothers, dislocated workers, homeless and transient population as well as those people with very low incomes who may not qualify for Public Assistance. As we are about to enter our 28th year of operation we are facing on-going and new challenges as well as exciting possibilities, so please consider becoming more involved with the organization. In order to survive we need your time, talent, and gifts of food, supplies and money.