SKIP SCOOP

FEBRUARY 2022

skipfood@gmail.com

508-487-8331

www.skipfood.org

20 Shank Painter Rd.

HAPPY EVERYTHING!

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Happy February Friends! 


It’s the shortest month of the year, and to me signifies the beginning of winter in our seaside town. The shoulder season is over, the tourists are gone, the year round population has “shrink, shrank, shrunk”, and the average temperature is in the 30s. It’s when most restaurants and local businesses take a well deserved break. So what do we celebrate in February? Of course my first thought is Chinese New Year, which takes place on February 1st this year. It’s the year of the tiger where people born under this sign are said to be competitive and brave. Some traditions to ring in the Chinese New Year are to have a clean house beforehand so that you don’t sweep out the good luck in the New Year. Another is to eat long noodles which represents a long life, and cook a whole fresh chicken which signifies prosperity.  


Of course many of us celebrate Valentine’s Day on the 14th. It’s the prototypical Hallmark holiday where the price of roses soars and Prix fixe menus appear in local restaurants. But I want to talk about a lesser known holiday, GALENTINE’S DAY on February 13th! On this day women celebrate their friendships with their gal pals. It was “invented” in 2010 by Amy Poehler’s character, Leslie Knope, on Parks and Recreation and has become a celebration of female friendships ever since. Galetine, Palentine, Valentine, whatever the moniker, it’s always time to appreciate the connections you have in life, or to rekindle with friends from your past!  


Am I sounding too Kumbaya with all this talk about friendship? You can always celebrate Do a Grouch a Favor Day, February 16!


All my best,

Donna


WHAT'S COOKING

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Jackie’s back at the stove January 28th stir frying chicken (for prosperity!) and making a vegetable lo mien noodle dish (for long life) in celebration of Chinese New Year! 


Gina has a special Valentine’s menu in the works! And, as part of Heart Health month, Gina is sneaking more veggies (delicious fresh salads and soups) and fruit (smoothies) into your diet!!! 


As always, you can view the current lunch menu on our website: www.skipfood.org/menu  

MENU

GUEST NEWS

COVID-19 PRECAUTIONS

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Given that the Omicron virus numbers have been soaring throughout the state, we’d like to remind you of the PUMC Covid safety guidelines.  Please be considerate of your fellow citizens and refrain from coming to the soup kitchen if you are currently sick, have tested positive for Covid-19, or have been exposed to someone who tested positive for Covid-19.  In addition, the PUMC asks that you PLEASE WEAR A MASK

• UNTIL YOU ARE SEATED

• WHEN IN THE SERVING LINE

• WHEN YOU ARE NOT ACTIVELY EATING OR DRINKING

• ALL OTHER TIMES WHEN NOT SEATED AT A TABLE

For more information on Covid-19 precautions please visit the CDC website.

GUEST SURVEY

Thank you all for taking the time to fill out our guest survey. Good news, most of you love what Gina’s doing in the kitchen! 

Of the guests surveyed, we have an overall satisfaction rate of 91.5%. We take all feedback seriously and will look into all of your suggestions.

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ST. MARY'S COMMUNITY LUNCHES

Your friends at Provincetown’s Church of St. Mary of the Harbor are offering area residents free, home-cooked lunches to go on Saturdays, between 12 noon and 1:30 pm, through February 26. The Church is located at 517 Commercial Street in Provincetown’s East End. Limited parking is available. Lunches are available on a first come, first served basis, and COVID restrictions are in place: guests are asked to remain masked while on the St. Mary’s premises. For further information, call 508-487-2622.


VOLUNTEER NEWS

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It truly takes a community to achieve SKIP’s primary mission to provide nutritious meals in a welcoming environment open to all. Here are some stats on how we get it done! 


SKIP has a staff of only 3; executive chef, utilities person, and office coordinator. The organization is run largely by board members and volunteers who make the daily operations possible. There are up to 17 volunteer shifts scheduled daily to help prep and serve SKIP lunches. This year we have 117 volunteers, and we average just over 850 volunteer hours per month! Thus far we have a cumulative total of 2170 volunteer hours since November. We really can’t do this without you!


Come February we need more volunteers as many folks vacation to warmer climates. If you are a current volunteer and would like to sign up for more hours, please click here. To become a new volunteer go to https://www.skipfood.org/volunteer

More Hours
Volunteer

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT: BRUCE MASON

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Many of you know our spotlight volunteer for this month, Bruce Mason. We think that, at 86, he is our oldest volunteer! Bruce has been a SKIP volunteer for 11 years. His wife, Sandy, began volunteering here 12 years ago, and for many years they volunteered together. Sandy is not with us this year, and we miss you Sandy. They moved to Seashore Point in Ptown 8 years ago, after having spent much time on the Outer Cape prior to that.  


Bruce was born in Brockton MA and attended college at Springfield (MA) college. After a stint in the Army, he became a social worker and worked with children & families for 45 years in Connecticut. He became the assistant director and then director of Special Services in Education in Naugatuck CT, before retiring in 2001.  


Bruce finds volunteering at SKIP is always a pleasure. He loves the idea of the local soup kitchen and of giving back to the community. Bruce has gotten to know many of the volunteers and guests and relishes the relationships that have developed over the years. He likes the fellowship of belonging to the larger Ptown collective through SKIP. He can be found most mornings walking to his SKIP shift and walking all over Ptown. Walking is one of his favorite pastimes - giving him time to think and contemplate ideas.


In addition to SKIP, Bruce has volunteered at the Center for Coastal Studies for 5 years and is very active in St. Mary’s church, both as a deacon & parishioner. He keeps a garden at the B Street Garden lot.  


In Bruce’s own words: “I have found that in giving back, which I want to do, I always end up receiving far more than I ever gave in the first place. It is like a miracle.” That pretty much sums it up.  Thank you Bruce for your many years of service to SKIP. It is volunteers like you that make SKIP so special for the rest of us.  

GIVING THANKS

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A special thanks to the talented Jonathan Chase who made and sold wooden Christmas trees and donated a portion of the proceeds to SKIP. Above is a photo of some of the trees he displayed on Commercial Street in the West End of Provincetown. 

PUZZLE ME THIS

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CHINESENEWYEAR

CHOCOLATE

GROUNDHOGSDAY

LINCOLN

LOVE

NOODLES

PUXSUTAWNEY

RED

ROSES

SNOW

VALENTINESDAY

WASHINGTON YEAROFTHETIGER

PUZZLE

REMEMBRANCE

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Judy Dennis, 84, of Provincetown and Worcester, passed away on Sunday, December 12, 2021. Judy was a SKIP volunteer for many years and was always a bright spot in the SKIP world.  She is survived by four sons, one of whom is Nicholas W. Dennis of Provincetown.  She also had seven grandchildren and six great grandchildren.

Judy moved to Provincetown 7 years ago.  She dedicated her life to helping others, whether at her work as a registered nurse, her endless hours of volunteering, or being a certified clown. She possessed a young spirit and spent twenty years entertaining people as a professional clown, where she shared her caring spirit with a genuine smile.

Donations in her memory may be made to the Provincetown United Methodist Thrift Store, 20 Shank Painter Road, Provincetown, MA 02657.



CALENDAR OF EVENTS

JANUARY 28: Chinese New Year Celebration Lunch 1:30 @ SKIP

THROUGH FEBRUARY 26: Saturday Lunches To Go - 12:00 to 1:30 @ St. Mary's, 517 Commercial Street

FEBRUARY 2: Health Program - 11:30 to 1:30 @ SKIP 

FEBRUARY 16: Health Program - 11:30 to 1:30 @SKIP

www.skipfood.org/events

EVENTS

GUEST COLUMNIST

SKIP would love to feature our local talent. If you are a poet, artist, writer or cartoonist, we have a guest columnist section. Space is limited in this format, but please let us know if you would like to contribute to SKIP SCOOP by emailing us at: skipscoopeditor@gmail.com


BYOBag!

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For those of you that prefer to take out your SKIP lunch, you can now bring your own bag! The Ptown Health Department is now allowing guests to bring in their own reusable bags for take away meals. Bagging must be done at the table after the service line as the bags cannot be placed on the service line. SKIP encourages you to bring your own bag, as this will help us cut down on the expenses in packaging. Thanks in advance & remember: BYOBag!!

SERVICES

HEALTH PROGRAM

The Program involves health monitoring by a registered nurse for any SKIP guest who wants it. A nurse will be on-site to check blood pressure, review medications and answer health-related questions. The program is completely confidential for every participant. It will begin on Wednesday, December 1, and will continue on the first and third Wednesday of each month during SKIP’s season. The nurse will be available from before lunch at 11:30am until 1:30pm on those days. 


HOMELESS PREVENTION COUNCIL

The Homeless Prevention Council has office hours in Provincetown from 10 - 2 daily at the Provincetown United Methodist Church. For more information, please refer to their website. www.hpccapecod.org/provincetown-community-support


TRANSPORTATION

If you are you physically unable to get to SKIP, a friend or neighbor can pick up a lunch for you. If you have no one to ask, we may be able to arrange for delivery. Please call the SKIP office at 508-487-8331 to let us know about your special need. We will see if one of our first shift volunteers can drop it off or if Helping Our Women (HOW) can do it as they did on Thanksgiving.

 

CROP SWAP IS UP AND RUNNING

It is a program sponsored by the Ptown Health Department, the Ptown Public Library and SKIP. Crop Swap is Ptown’s source for fresh, uncut fruits and vegetables and is open year round. Anyone may donate fresh fruits and vegetables, and all are welcome to take what they need. All fruits and vegetables are free. Please bring your own bag.


Crop Swap is located in the Ptown Library, 356 Commercial Street, to the left as you enter the front doors. Hours are:

Mondays & Fridays: 10-4:30

Tuesdays, Wednesdays, & Thursdays: 10 - 7:30

Saturdays & Sundays: 1 - 4:30


There is a refrigerator for perishable items and shelves with bins for non-perishables, such as potatoes and squash. Be sure to take advantage of this valuable resource. 



SUPPORT SKIP WHILE YOU SHOP


Did you know that simply by shopping at Amazon, you can support SKIP? Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible purchases to the Soup Kitchen in Provincetown (SKIP). Just remember, to start each shopping session at the URL smile.amazon.com and select Soup Kitchen in Provincetown Inc. to receive your donation. 

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SKIP BOARD MEMBERS

PHIL FRANCHINI, Chairperson

MARK BJORSTROM, Vice Chair, Treas.

DONNA REARDON, Editor

MARY ASHLEY, Asst. Editor

LIBBY CRESSEY

MARTHA FAGAN

RAYMOND INGERSOLL

PETER MAYE

ROGER SECOURS

SKIP STAFF

GINA LARKIN, Executive Chef| HILARY McHUGH, Office Coordinator |

DIDIER CORALLO, Dishwasher/Utility Person |

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