Leap Year Brings a Bonus to Saint Mary's: One Last Winter Community Luncheon!

Left to right are Cathy Hatch, Jean Sagara, Robin Comins Unger and Chris Keenan.
Live music is a big part of the popularity of Saint Mary's winter community luncheons.

The best part of having an extra day added to this Leap Year calendar might just be the chance it offers all of us to enjoy one last terrific “bonus” meal at Saint Mary of the Harbor Episcopal Church on February 29^th, 2020. That’s tomorrow, Saturday, from noon till about 1 PM or so, with a lovely meal prepared and served by some dozen or more volunteers, mostly from the church’s congregation. There is no charge for this wonderful meal, and all are invited.

This is a community luncheon intended to welcome absolutely everyone for a congenial meal among friends, both new and old, with Saint Mary’s stunning view of Provincetown Harbor as a backdrop, and live music for all to enjoy. It runs every Saturday during the Cape's two most challenging winter months for many of us: January and February. It’s easy to become a bit isolated when the weather might keep us from getting out and being among the humans, and this welcoming, community luncheon creates a great atmosphere for a little socializing, a lot of music, and something good to eat.

John Carroll and John Luftin made the best ratatouille I've ever tasted!

I hadn’t made it to a single lunch all season until this past Saturday, and had been missing a lot of the folks that I’ve always enjoyed spending a little bit of time with over the winter months.

Boy, did I luck out by catching a ride to the church that day...

Walking across the courtyard I could smell the divine aromas of this homemade meal from 50 feet away, and wonderful, live music was wafting on the air.

My nose led me to big baskets of crusty, really good garlic bread and a beautiful salad of mixed field greens, accompanied by the greatest ratatouille I’ve ever tasted! Saint Mary parishioners John Carroll and John Loftin baked several big pans of that delightful French stew simply brimming with fresh vegetables, in a uniquely flavored sauce that I hope to have the good fortune to enjoy again one day.

Dessert, as usual, was a lovely variety of baked goods such as cookies, brownies, lemon bars, carrot cake and the like, cut bite size so you could taste as many as you wanted, with a platter of these little sweets on every table.

This plate of excellent ratatouille, beautiful mixed salad greens and
great garlic bread was a real hit with last week's St. Mary's crowd. 

Besides great food, this weekly winter event always features live music, courtesy of two or three splendid Cape Cod musicians, together with friends they might bring along from various Cape towns and beyond, and sometimes featuring PTown tunesmiths as well.

Musicians from Eastham, Brewster and lands well beyond will venture out to the beauty of Provincetown on a cold winter's day, all for the love of the music. Diners and servers alike will often join in a sing-along, or dance to the music as it moves them.

This past week brought us Cathy Hatch, a dedicated regular traveling from Yarmouth to play guitar for us nearly every Saturday, along with Jean Sagara of Wellfleet, another regular, playing the fiddle. Our best wishes go out to John, another regular, at home, recovering from an injury and unable to play that day.

Cathy and Jean were joined by Robin Comins Unger and Chris Keenan, who both are frequent visitors to the Outer Cape, traveling from western Massachusetts to a little get-away in Truro as often as they can. They had brought their fiddles along. Each of these many fine musicians plays multiple instruments, and you never know which of dozens of strings, drums, percussion, woodwinds or others we’ll be treated to on any given Saturday.

We thank Saint Mary’s and the volunteers for another great season of food, music and comradery. The eclectic mix of friends and neighbors among the crowd, in the band, and in the kitchen, makes this a wonderful gathering for everyone, with the ambience completed by the view of magnificent Provincetown Harbor, seen from every corner of the dining hall at Saint Mary’s. This remarkable, homespun, weekly tradition should not be missed this winter, with your last chance for the season to join in the fun falling on Saturday, tomorrow, on Leap Day. Come join us in a good meal, live music, perhaps a bit of song and dance... all in a beautiful setting where everyone is truly welcome!

Celebration of Life Concert Kicks Off PTown's Annual Swim for Life Events

Voices and spirits will be raised at Provincetown's annual Celebration of Life.

At 8 PM tonight Provincetown's 31st annual Swim for Life weekend will be launched with a free concert held at the Unitarian Universalist Meeting House, at 236 Commercial Street.
This celebration is perhaps the most joyous event to take place in Provincetown every year.
Typically this show has included all sorts of music and song, perhaps a bit of comedy, maybe spoken word, drumming, poetry or any other sort of  mirth or amusement dreamed up by both amateur and professional performers. Tonight they will regale a packed house with a buoyant, uplifting. inspirational evening of entertainment.

The first swimmer reaches the shoreline, cheered on by the crowd.

All of this is the prelude to tomorrow's Swim for Life, the yearly fundraising event of the Community Compact. More than 400 swimmers will plunge into Provincetown Harbor for an open water swim of 1.4 miles from Long Point Light to the Boatslip Beach Club. Over the years, the Swim has raised more than $4 million dollars for HIV/AIDs, women's health, and community organizations.
When the last swimmer has reached the shoreline, the Mermaid Brunch will begin, on the deck of the Boatslip, with entertainment, the awards ceremony, and a buffet catered by Far Land Provisions. All of these events are free and open to the public. We thank more than 150 volunteers who make all of this happen, and guard the safety of the swimmers and all of the participants.
Go to the concert, cheer on the swimmers, and join us for brunch! Visit swim4life.org for more information or to join the swim!

Saint Mary's Begins 28th Season of Winter Community Luncheons in Provincetown

Now through February, St Mary's will serve lovely Saturday lunches at no charge.

Weekly community luncheons will begin for the winter season this Saturday, January 6th, 2018, at Saint Mary of the Harbor Episcopal Church, with everyone invited.
Join your neighbors for a home cooked meal at St Mary's every Saturday from noon to 1 PM during January and February.
Volunteers prepare and serve specialty dishes of various church members featuring a different favorite recipe whipped up every Saturday. Each meal begins with a crisp garden salad.
The delicious hot lunch pictured here is Priscilla Jackett's famous tandoori chicken, baked in the oven with multicolored bell peppers, tomato, onion, mushrooms, celery, and just a bit of spice. It was served with brown rice, mixed winter vegetables and crusty bread. It's among the favorite dishes of regular guests.

Musicians bring over a dozen folk instruments to Saturday lunches.

There is a wonderful feeling of community here, with an amazing cross section of Provincetowners sharing communal tables, visiting with old friends, and meeting new ones, while enjoying a nice meal along with a bit of rather spirited entertainment.
Live music often gets the crowd singing along, or gets them on their feet to dance, with musicians from Cape Cod towns singing and playing a wide variety of tunes and instruments.
Of course, the view of Provincetown Harbor is superb, since the picture windows of Saint Mary's dining hall look right out over the beach, just a few feet away. Combine this scenic beauty with good food, music and friends, and you'll see why this weekly event has been so popular for all these years, now embarking on its 28th season. And the volunteers show that they are genuinely glad to have you there.

The volunteers also bring a variety of homemade treats for dessert.

Dessert is buffet trays of bite-sized sweets like brownies, bars, cookies, and cakes, so you can taste a few without going too far overboard.
Coffee and tea are served as well, and folks are encouraged to relax and chat, or to get up and dance to the music, or whatever suits them.
Everyone is invited to this wonderful, weekly community event. Saint Mary's is in Provincetown's Far East End, just beyond Howland Street. It's right on the edge of the harbor, at 517 Commercial Street.
Come and join us in he first luncheon of the New Year, and every Saturday through February.

All Are Welcome as Provincetown's Soup Kitchen Opens for the Season

Volunteers cook terrific meals and welcome us to Provincetown's Soup Kitchen.

SKIP, the Soup Kitchen In Provincetown, operates weekdays from November through April, serving not only delicious soups, but tasty, nutritious, hot meals at no charge to the public.
Throngs of people keenly await the opening day each year, eager to visit with friends they haven't seen during the summer months while the organization is closed for the season. Old friends and new ones from many Outer Cape towns gather at the Provincetown United Methodist Church, at 10 Shank Painter Road, to share a meal together. Sometimes this community luncheon is even accompanied by live music from local performers.
SKIP, founded in 1992, is open Monday through Friday, including holidays, which are always celebrated with gusto. Lunch is served from 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM, with the church's thrift store staying open till 2 PM for browsing or to receive donations of good, used clothing, housewares, linens, or other useful items. There's also a food pantry available to help folks who might need to supplement their own food supply at home.

Whether a tomato bisque or a clam chowder, Skip meals all start with a great.soup.

SKIP's goal is to provide nutritious and healthy meals in a welcoming and warm atmosphere for all individuals on the Outer Cape who are either in need or who seek community. Many who come for lunch are there as much for socialization as for the meal. It's easy for folks living at the tip of Cape Cod to feel isolated over the winter, when the crowds are gone, many local gathering places are closed, and the streets are very sparsely populated. You'll always find a diverse crowd of local people at the Soup Kitchen, welcoming you into the conversation around a table of tasty, nutritious food, at no charge.
Contributions are welcome, of course, but never required. Sales from the thrift shop on the premises help to cover some operating costs, and a number of fundraisers such as the annual Swim For Life help SKIP raise some of the cash to fulfill it's mission.
Local restaurants closing for the season will donate food. Fishermen will donate bushels of cod or shellfish. Stop & Shop contributes. Businesses, individuals and families make contributions, or volunteer their time, or sponsor a meal.
This winter SKIP will likely serve upwards of 10,000 meals to those who need something to eat or who simply seek a bit of companionship. Find out how you can help by calling 508 487-8331, or visit the Soup Kitchen's website at www.ptownsoup.org. From there you can also make a donation, or send them an email for more information.
By the way, reserve the date on Saturday, December 2nd, when Tin Pan Alley will once again host Souper Saturday, a luncheon where a couple of dozen great local restaurants provide kettles of a variety of favorite soups for $5 a bowl, with all proceeds going to the Soup Kitchen.
In the meantime, come and join friends and neighbors for a nice lunch and a little camaraderie, weekdays at SKIP.

Impending Storm Cancels Today's Community Luncheon at Saint Mary's

Saturday lunches at Saint Mary's always include live music. Here Wellfleet's
John Best on guitar and Jean Sagara on fiddle are joined by Provincetown
musician April Baxter, playing her traditional Irish drum, the bodhran. All sing.

The Church of Saint Mary of the Harbor has announced that its first Community Luncheon of 2017, scheduled at noon today, Jan 7, will be cancelled due to the impending snow storm. Barring further inclement weather, the first lunch of the season will be held next Saturday, January 14th, continuing weekly at 12 PM each Saturday through February.

This chicken dish, made with colorful peppers, tomatoes, onions, mushrooms and
celery is a perennial favorite, even bringing back out-of-towners from Yarmouth.
Folks look forward to savoring Priscilla Jacket's Tandoori Chicken every year.

For many years now, Saint Mary's has held a series of off-season get-togethers each Saturday in January and February, when the holidays are over and the snow is usually beginning to fly, and spirits may begin to flag a bit among PTown's tiny population of  year-round residents. Many of us become rather reclusive at this time of year, and these great meals and live music can help to get us out of the house to socialize a bit, enjoy the company of our neighbors and meet new friends.

Desserts are made by the volunteers, who help out in the kitchen, serve the
meals at your table and clean up afterwards. Thank you!

After lunch people linger over a cup of coffee and trays of desserts, usually bite-sized brownies, bars and squares of cake, each one cut small enough that you can sample several while enjoying the music and the conversation around your table. And you simply can't beat the view of Provincetown Harbor from Saint Mary's, situated right on the beach at 517 Commercial Street, in the East End.

These saturday social hours are great fun for all, and, of course, everyone is invited.
I hope to find you all at a few of these luncheons over the winter.

Souper Saturday Warms Provincetown, Body and Soul

Delectable soups from favorite Provincetown restaurants highlight
Souper Saturday, a benefit for Provincetown's remarkable soup kitchen.

The Soup Kitchen In Provincetown (SKIP) will host its annual “Souper” Saturday lunch on Saturday, December 3, from 11:30 AM to 3:30 PM, at Tin Pan Alley, located at number 269 Commercial St, directly across from Town Hall.

More than two-dozen local restaurants and businesses will offer delicious, hearty soups for a donation of $5 per serving in this wonderful fundraiser that has become a favorite event during Holly Folly, PTown’s annual holiday celebration.

Enjoy live music by pianist Jim Brosseau and other area performers along with your delicious lunch, with all proceeds helping to provide roughly 13,000 meals for Outer Cape residents over this coming winter. SKIP merchandise such as T-shirts, caps and mugs will also be available for purchase.

Weekdays from November through April, SKIP serves hot, nutritious meals at the United Methodist Church on Shank Painter Road. Lunch is free and open to all. Guests begin gathering as early as noon for the 12:30 PM lunch, spending time with friends or browsing the adjoining thrift shop. Many will linger afterward for socializing amongst a wide cross-section of local residents.

These meals can help to fill the gap in an economy that stretches the budgets of people who may have little or no income during the winter months. For others, joining friends for lunch can provide a feeling of community and a much-needed gathering place in a season that can feel rather desolate without the pace of the summer and the crowds in the streets.

Join us at Tin Pan Alley on Saturday for this great fundraising lunch, and if you’re in town over the winter, join us weekdays through April at The Soup Kitchen, for a good meal and a bit of fellowship. If you can’t attend, you might consider sending a check. Donations are tax-deductible and can be sent to SKIP at PO Box 538, Provincetown, MA 02657.

Provincetown's Famous Soup Kitchen Reopens Monday for 2016 Season

SKIP volunteers serve up a warm welcome along with a tasty meal, and, of course, their legendary soups!

As much for the feeling of camaraderie and friendship as for a great bowl of soup, folks will begin flocking to the Soup Kitchen In Provincetown (SKIP) on Monday, November 7th. Their 25th season providing nutritious, hot meals and a sense of community for Outer Cape residents will begin around noon that day, as a crowd begins to gather in the dining hall of Provincetown's United Methodist Church.
Lunch won't begin until 12:30 PM, as usual, but there will be plenty of folks hugging, handshaking and conversing with friends they may not have seen for months, since the Soup Kitchen closed for the season at the end of last April. People always gather early and stay late, talking with friends and socializing a bit, which is equally as important as having the meal itself.
Every weekday from now until April 28th, SKIP will be serving lunch from 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM at the Methodist Church, at 20 Shank Painter Road. They serve about 80 meals on the average day, so if you do the math, you'll realize that amounts to a figure somewhere around 10,000 meals prepared and served by volunteers during their annual six-month season.
There is no charge for this hearty lunch, and everyone is welcome. Many diners are regulars who come from other Outer Cape towns to mingle, converse and enjoy a meal together. It's easy to become isolated in the solitude of the off-season on Cape Cod. Many also depend on this wonderful community resource to help make ends meet at a time of year when a lot of us have little or no income.
Come and join us in ushering in the new season for our wonderful Soup Kitchen.

Saint Mary's Community Luncheons Brighten Provincetown's Winter

A delicious homestyle meal is served every Saturday thru February at St. Mary's.

The famous weekly community luncheons are back for the winter season at The Church of Saint Mary of the Harbor, at 517 Commercial Street. Every Saturday in the months of January and February this lovely Episcopal Church on the edge of Provincetown Harbor hosts the entire community for a meal and live music at no charge.
Church volunteers prepare and serve a different homestyle meal each Saturday, with several favorites eagerly anticipated sometime during this luncheon season. The winter in Provincetown wouldn't be complete without the appearance of famed recipes by Mary-Jo Avellar, Priscilla Jackett and a number of other great cooks.

Live music accompanies lunch, with singing and dancing encouraged!

Music is presented by musicians from up the street and up the Cape, who relish playing for such an appreciative audience while lunch is served. Song and a variety of instruments can be heard before you even set foot through the doorway to this welcoming hall.
Everyone is invited, so come join the fun every Saturday at 12 noon, thru February.

It's Souper Saturday! 25 Great PTown Restaurants Benefit Our Soup Kitchen

More than two dozen Provincetown restaurants will offer some of their favorite soups
at Tin Pan Alley on Souper Saturday, benefitting the Soup Kitchen In Provincetown.

One of the great traditions of Provincetown's annual Holly Folly celebration is Souper Saturday, with more than two dozen restaurants, delis, caterers and even a guesthouse or two bringing kettles of their best soups to the table, benefitting SKIP, the Soup Kitchen In Provincetown. This year's event takes place at Tin Pan Alley, where just about any kind of soup you can think of will be available at just $5 a bowl, from 11:30 AM till 3:30 PM.

The Canteen makes a great clam chowder.
Will this be their Souper Saturday offering?

Throughout the event there will be a number of choices available at any given moment, and each time a kettle is sold out, another great pot of soup from a different restaurant will be brought out of the kitchen. Chowders, bisques and potages of all sorts will change throughout the day. It's bound to be tough to decide between all the mouthwatering choices, so you might want to try more than one.

Will Mistralina bring a minestrone?

All the money that's raised will go into the coffers of the Soup Kitchen, found at the Methodist Church, at 10 Shank Painter Road. SKIP serves hot, nutritious meals every weekday, from November through April, and provides a welcoming spot for those who are in search of community.

The Mews' chicken with Thai and Mexican
chilis is a soup I hope to have again one day.

I can't predict exactly what soup each restaurant will bring, but I can predict I'll walk out happy after this event, with a warm feeling inside. So to help keep our Soup Kitchen running, come and join us for a great lunch you can feel good about, at Tin Pan Alley, at 269 Commercial Street, on this Souper Saturday, December 5th.

Provincetown's Soup Kitchen Opens Today

Dozens of volunteers enjoy cooking and serving SKIP meals.

The Soup Kitchen In Provincetown (SKIP) opens its doors today for their new "season," which runs just opposite of the summer season that drives the economy of the town. The Soup Kitchen's season runs every weekday from the first Monday in November till the last Friday in April, when most people in this town are unemployed, and often looking for a little companionship.
The Soup Kitchen provides a warm, welcoming spot where our off-season community can spend a little time together, socialize a bit, or simply "get out of the house" at a time of year when many are prone to a bit of seasonal depression.
Folks can spend time with friends and meet new ones as they share a nice communal meal served by dozens of volunteers who look forward to their time here as well. Guests and volunteers alike enjoy each others' company, and will sometimes check up on someone who doesn't show up for a few days. It provides a nice feeling of community during a season when many feel a bit isolated.

Soup, salad, quiche, fresh veggies and dessert made a great meal.

Meals served here always include a very tasty cup of soup of one kind or another, and a green salad of some type, with a wide-ranging array of entrees which will change daily according to sales offered by suppliers, money available in the SKIP budget, and the types of foods donated by businesses and individuals in the community.
The meal shown here started off with an herbed tomato soup and went on to a green salad, a lovely quiche, herb-roasted potatoes, roasted Brussels sprouts and cauliflower, and chocolate cake for dessert. Another day's lunch might feature roast pork, lasagna or a chicken casserole. There are always vegetarian choices as well.
There is no charge for these meals, and many folks turn to the Soup Kitchen to help stretch a food budget that might be very tight in the off-season, since the majority of Provincetown residents have no opportunity at all for employment at this time of the year. In fact, our unemployment rate can hover around 65 percent during the winter. Residents of other Outer Cape towns will join us for lunch as well. Absolutely everyone is always welcome at Provincetown's remarkable Soup Kitchen, at 10 Shank Painter Road in Provincetown, at the Methodist Church.
Visit the Soup Kitchen's website to learn more about it, or to make a donation through the Internet. Checks can be mailed to SKIP, P O Box 538, Provincetown, MA, 02657, or dropped off when you come by for lunch one day. Many different types of donations throughout the year keep the Soup Kitchen running. Our local fishing community might bring in a crate of fresh cod, or a bushel or two of clams, while a restaurant might send over several gallons of ice cream as they close for the season. Families can arrange to sponsor a day's lunch, or to volunteer for a regular shift. There are endless ways to help. Call 508 487-8331 to arrange a donation of food.
Lunch is served Monday through Friday from 12:30 to 1:30 PM, and all are welcome.

It's PTown's 28th Annual Swim for Life!

The 28th annual Swim for Life is this Saturday, September 12th, 2015

Some 400 swimmers will take the plunge at 11:00 tomorrow morning, swimming 1.4 miles across magnificent Provincetown Harbor from Long Point to the beach at the Boatslip Resort in PTown's West End. Paddlers in kayaks and canoes will begin making their way across the harbor as well, while others in swimming pools will begin swimming laps equivalent to the distance across the harbor.
All of these folks have taken pledges, and will be raising money for local organizations that assist people living with HIV and AIDS, as well as women with chronic and life threatening illnesses, and a number of other community agencies serving Provincetown and Cape Cod. The first Swim for Life, in the summer of 1988, involved 18 swimmers, raising $6,000. To date, The Swim has raised some $3 million for health and wellness services on the Outer Cape.

Jay Critchley and Roger Beatty register two
unknown swimmers at the first Swim for Life in 1988.

The event evolved over the years to include people who are "harborly challenged" but who still want to participate, doing so by swimming laps in local pools, while folks in kayaks paddle across the harbor, guiding and assisting swimmers, if needed. Swimmers are aided and looked after by myriad volunteers ensuring their safety and wellbeing during the event, with others working at dozens of jobs that pull this huge event together.
150 volunteers perform countless tasks like registering swimmers, transporting them to Long Point, providing moral support, giving first aid, cheering on swimmers as they near the finish line, serving food at the Mermaid Brunch, and providing splendid entertainment for the swimmers and supporters alike, both at the party after the swim and at the Celebration of Life at the U. U. Meetinghouse on the Friday night before The Swim.
It's not too late to get involved yourself, whether you'd like to swim, volunteer, make a pledge or contribution, or cheer on the swimmers as they near the finish line at the Boatslip. On Saturday you'll want to applaud and cheer for the swimmers and paddlers as they reach the shore, then enjoy the food and entertainment at the Mermaid Brunch, and the awards for swimmers, paddlers, fundraisers and volunteers.

The annual Celebration of Life concert on Friday night kicks off The Swim.

You'll certainly want to attend the annual Celebration of Life, considered by many to be the concert of the year, tonight, at the Universalist Unitarian Meeting House, at 236 Commercial Street.
This wonderful, free event brings dozens of performers to entertain and inspire us with music, song and the spoken word.
I'll see you at the
U. U. tonight at 8 PM, and at the Boatslip tomorrow, at 161 Commercial Street, to cheer on the swimmers who begin their odyssey out on Long Point at 11AM, followed by the Mermaid Brunch on the Boatslip deck from noon till 2 PM, with the awards, beginning about 1 PM, or whenever the last swimmer makes it safely to the shore. All events are free of charge and open to the public. Come and join us!

Two More Saturdays at St Mary's Will Finish 2015 Community Luncheon Season

Pasta, garlic bread and salad are a luncheon favorite.

Every Saturday in January and February a Community Luncheon is served at Saint Mary of the Harbor Episcopal Church, at 517 Commercial Street. Everyone is invited, at no charge.
From noon until 1 PM each Saturday, a different lunch every week is served to neighbors, friends and visitors who gather around large, communal tables to share a meal and socialize a bit, and make new friends.

Live music from many instruments is part of the fun.

Trays of cookies, brownies and other treats follow the main course, the coffee flows freely, and folks often sit for a while after lunch enjoying the music that's provided by Cape Cod musicians who entertain diners, playing a variety of instruments and singing throughout the meal.
Some of these musicians are local people, and some have been traveling here to play every Saturday for years. Diners even get up and dance to the music.
Join in on the fun, and a pleasant meal with friends, as these last two Saturdays in February bring another season of these great Community Luncheons to a close.

Visit PTown's Fantastic Soup Kitchen

Volunteers at Provincetown's Soup Kitchen serve up nearly
100 meals a day from November through April each year.

The Soup Kitchen in Provincetown (SKIP) serves a hot lunch every weekday from the first Monday in November through the last Friday in April. The project began many years ago when some local folks noticed there were a number of people essentially living on the beach at the edge of the harbor, sleeping under overturned boats. I met a woman years ago who began, with a group
of people, seeking solutions and community resources to help.
They found there were also many who had housing but were perhaps a bit short on money for groceries in long winter seasons when so many of us have little or no income. And they also found many who would benefit greatly from simply feeling a sense of community, with a place to gather, socialize a bit, and merely spend some time with friends in the midst of a community where it's easy to feel isolated and alone in the off-season.
Eventually, in 1992, the Soup Kitchen in Provincetown was founded, was housed in a few different spots through the years, and finally, a number of years ago, settled into what seems to be its permanent home at the Provincetown United Methodist Church, found at 10 Shank Painter Road . SKIP has evolved into a wonderful, welcoming spot where people from every corner of Provincetown, and from all walks of life, gather for a meal and a bit of fellowship throughout the winter months. Visit the SKIP website and you'll find that their goal is “to provide nutritious and healthy meals in a welcoming and warm atmosphere for all individuals on the Outer Cape who are either in need or seek community.” Several folks come to Provincetown for lunch, from Truro and Wellfleet, and beyond, and all are welcome. In 2013, SKIP served about 11,000 meals, at no charge, to Outer Cape folks from many towns.

A recent Soup Kitchen meal included roasted tomato soup,
Quiche Lorraine with herb roasted potatoes, a green salad,
roasted Brussels sprouts and cauliflower, and the Soup
Kitchen's famous carrot cake for dessert. Fantastic! 

The Soup Kitchen has dozens of volunteers who prepare all those meals, serve them, and then clean up afterwards. Donations of food come from local businesses and residents, and occasionally, for example, fishermen will bring in bushels of clams or crates of fresh fish. Call 508 487-8331 to arrange a donation of food, or you can send a check to SKIP, Post Office Box 538, Provincetown, MA 02657. Visit their website to receive a card acknowledging your donation if you print a donation form and mail it in with your check. You can also donate there directly from your existing PayPal account. SKIP is a 501(c)3 organization and all donations are fully tax deductible.
Whether or not you make a donation, come for lunch at the Soup Kitchen soon. Friday, April 25th, will be their last day for this season. And make sure you mark your calendar for May 3rd, 2014, and save the date for a wonderful SKIP fundraiser at the Crown & Anchor. There will be a gourmet dinner and a concert by Well Strung, the fabulous, sexy, singing string quartet whose amazing instrumental and vocal talents span every conceivable genre of music from classical to hip-hop, from Beethoven to Beyonce, and you won't want to miss this very special event. Call SKIP at 508 487-8331 for reservations. Your support, as always, is greatly appreciated.

Souper Saturday Benefits SKIP

Have a nice bowl of soup for a great cause on Souper Saturday.

20 great PTown restaurants will bring their favorite soups to the Crown & Anchor on Saturday, Dec 7th, to benefit SKIP (that's Soup Kitchen In Provincetown) in their Souper Saturday 2013 event. From 11 AM till 3 PM (or while it lasts!) you can gat a delicious bowl of soup for just $5, choosing from a number of varieties which will change throughout the day. Spend another 5 bucks and enjoy another great soup from a different restaurant. This very popular annual event brings SKIP some much needed funding, helping their multitude of volunteers to operate a remarkable community resource.

Provincetown's Soup Kitchen will serve more than 10,000 meals this winter, and provide a warm, welcoming place for friends to gather and socialize, easing the isolation many people can feel over the off-season in this remote location. A sense of community can become even more important during the winter months, when many here can feel marginalized.
Every weekday, from November through April, a hot, nutritious, delicious meal is served at the Methodist Church, on Shank Painter Road. People start gathering around noon for the 12:30 meal, spending time talking with friends or browsing the thrift shop. Many linger around the large dining tables after the meal, socializing with friends and meeting new people, feeling a part of the community, and for some, filling the gap in a harsh winter economy that doesn't always leave enough money for food after paying the rent. All are welcome, and a tremendous cross section of Provincetown residents can be found here over the winter, any day of the week.
Come to the Soup Kitchen for a nice meal and a bit of camaraderie, and support the Soup Kitchen by coming for lunch at the Crown & Anchor on Souper Saturday.

Life! The Celebration and the Swim, 2013

This weekend offers a lot of events, starting tonight at 8 PM at the U U Meeting House, found at 236 Commercial Street, with the 20th annual Celebration of Life. This free community concert is the brainchild of local musician, composer and community activist John Thomas, who produces this annual musical celebration in conjunction with the Provincetown Harbor Swim for Life and Paddler Flotilla, which is described below.

This is always a highly anticipated concert, the feel-good event of the tear, with performances by talented local residents, celebrities performing in town over the summer, and always a few surprise guests. It is a life affirming event which raises the collective spirit of the entire audience while it honors those no longer with us.

This year’s performers include Jon Arterton, Peter Donnelly, Will Harrington, Billy Hough, Halcyone Hurst, Roxanne Layton, Zoë Lewis, Ken Lonergan, James Mack, Phoebe Otis, Elena Mancheva, Miss Richfield 1981 Scarbie, Sylvie Richard, John Thomas, Nedko Zdravkov Valchev, Janet Villas, West End Wendy Wendell and other surprises.

The 26th annual Swim for Life follows tomorrow morning, Saturday, September 7th, with hundreds of swimmers, along with kayakers and standup paddleboarders, making their way across magnificent Provincetown harbor, setting out from the Long Point Lighthouse, at the very tip of Cape Cod. This is an open-water swim of about a mile-and-a-half, finishing on the beach at the Boatslip Resort. Swimmers unable to conquer their fear of deep water, or those with other limitations, will be swimming in pools, making laps to equal the distance across the harbor. Teams of swimmers from Wellesley High School and from swim clubs in Philadelphia and Chicago, among others, travel to Provincetown to join in this event. Swimmers in other cities, and even in other countries, will participate in their own events.

Last year's event saw some 400 swimmers raise over $200,000 for local healthcare and other nonprofit organizations, lifting the total to about $3 million in contributions to local charities and nonprofits over the years. It's not too late to decide to swim. Registration will be Saturday from 9 AM to 10 AM at the Boatslip Resort, 161 Commercial Street.

Join us tonight at the Celebration of Life, and tomorrow morning at the Boatslip, to cheer on the swimmers, and at the Mermaid Brunch, which follows the swim, catered by Far Land Provisions. The brunch will feature awards for swimmers in many categories, along with up-beat entertainment, and caps off this wonderful, affirming, two-day celebration.