Spotlight: Common Good Soup Kitchen

Based on Mount Desert Island, Maine, the Common Good Soup Kitchen has served its community for over a decade. During the tough, isolated winters, the organization provides food, a place for gathering, and other assistance to its community members.

 

Founded in 2009, the Common Good Soup Kitchen originated as a way to bring some literal and symbolic warmth to the long, cold winters on Mount Desert Island, where six months of cold weather and isolation can bring tough times to many in the community. During the winters, the kitchen offers free soup, popovers, live music, and a gathering place. In the course of its operation, it has served over 50,000 bowls of soup and over 100,000 popovers! In 2019, Common Good also added a food pantry service, supplied with healthy groceries donated by local businesses. The organization also offers a home delivery service to assist those who cannot physically make it to the kitchen’s physical location.

 

The work doesn’t stop during the summer, either! Throughout the summers, Common Good operates a daily breakfast event, featuring fresh food and live music, on a pay-as-you-can model to ensure that no one has to go without. With the help of generous donors and volunteers, Common Good is able to assist the community of Mount Desert Island all year long.

 

Blue Rock is proud to highlight and support the incredible work of Common Good as part of our Blue Rock Gives Back Program. This program lets our employees choose a cause that is personally important to them. Each month, we select one of those charities and make a donation in their name. The Common Good Soup Kitchen was chosen by Nancy Estep-Critchett, Founder and Franchise Practice Leader at Blue Rock Search.

 

“Having grown up on this island in Maine I am especially thankful for this organization. Although Mount Desert Island is a bustling tourist destination in the summer – during the winter months many local residents have a need for assistance with making ends meet,” says Nancy. “Common Good Soup Kitchen helps those in need with the delivery of healthy home-made meals throughout the year. The organization is sustained solely by cash donations and local farms. They are famous for their ‘donation only’ popover services during the summer. Several of my family members and I have volunteered in the summers, making and serving those delicious popovers! We have experienced the dedication of those that work the Common Good Soup Kitchen year-round, and they are truly committed to helping their neighbors.”