We are thrilled to welcome back Chef Gina Larkin to the Soup Kitchen in Provincetown after a year away. With nearly three decades of culinary experience, Gina brings not only exceptional skill but also a heartfelt passion for nourishing our community.

During her first three years as Executive Chef, Gina’s leadership helped our meal service grow tremendously. In addition to managing dine-in service, Gina partnered with Helping Our Women (HOW), to launch a pilot meal delivery program each Friday. Her innovative menus, commitment to quality, and care for every guest at our tables have left a lasting impact.

Gina is looking forward to seeing both guests and volunteers on November 3rd!

SKIP thanks Reverend Brian Raiche and the Saint Mary's of the Harbor Church for the use of their kitchen and dining area to prepare and package lunches for delivery. SKIP uses the St. Mary's space from April through October each year. Reverend Brian and his team made space for cooking equipment, food, and packaging materials so that SKIP could provide lunches twice weekly to about 35 Provincetown residents who are homebound or otherwise challenged to food shop or cook. SKIP is thankful to Reverend Brian and the St. Mary's of the Harbor community for their support.

Laurence deFreitas, a beloved longtime chef at The Mews in Provincetown, passed away on May 15, 2025, at Crestview Court nursing home in Cedar Hill, Texas. Born on February 22, 1945, in Georgetown, British Guiana (now Guyana), Laurence led a rich and adventurous life. He studied at St. Edmund’s College in England before finding his culinary passion in Toronto’s creative Yorkville neighborhood.

His culinary journey took him to Key West, where he owned Jordan’s Café and hosted a local cooking show, and later to Provincetown in 1988, where he spent 25 years at The Mews, delighting patrons with signature dishes like vindaloo and lobster risotto. After retiring, he co-founded Cosmo’s Catering and helped develop the menu at Helltown Kitchen.

Generous and selfless, Laurence shared his chef’s talents at the Soup Kitchen in Provincetown, chopping vegetables and doing whatever it took alongside other volunteers to serve nourishing meals to the community — all before a bicycle accident left him partially paralyzed.

Laurence will be remembered as a talented, caring, and humble chef, and as a dedicated volunteer who enriched the lives of everyone around him.

It’s that time of year again — we need your help to cover the cost of nearly 200 lunches a day!

NEW: Honor someone special in your life and see their name and photo in lights! Each day, we proudly recognize our sponsors—or their honorees—on our digital display board. Add a photo to celebrate birthdays, weddings, memorials, or any meaningful tribute.

Simply email the name and photo you’d like featured to office@skipfood.org.

(All images are subject to SKIP approval.)

$500 DAY SPONSOR

$250 CO-SPONSOR

$2,500 WEEK SPONSOR  

The Soup Kitchen in Provincetown depends on the generosity of individuals and businesses to keep our community nourished. Your sponsorship helps us serve good food and good company to those who need it most. 

Thank you for being part of our mission and making a real difference in people’s lives.

Covid-19 and flu shots will be available for free at the Provincetown Flu+COVID Vaccine Clinic on Wednesday, October 22, from 12:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. in the Auditorium at Provincetown Town Hall, 260 Commercial Street.

You’ve seen Nurse Molly on the service line and along the delivery route — and soon, you’ll find her at the back of the dining room, performing health checks on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of each month, starting in November.

Be sure to stop by and say hello to Molly on the Tuesdays she’s here!

—HOMELESS PREVENTION COUNCIL. The Homeless Prevention Council has office hours in Provincetown from 10 - 2 Monday, Wednesday, & Thursday at the Provincetown United Methodist Church. For more information, please refer to their website. www.hpccapecod.org/provincetown-community-support

—CROP SWAP. Crop Swap is Ptown’s source for fresh, uncut fruits and vegetables and is open year round. Sponsored by the Ptown Health Department, the Ptown Public Library and SKIP, 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. Announcements are made on the Provincetown Community Page on Facebook when new produce is added to Crop Swap. Please be sure to take advantage of this valuable resource. 

—FOOD GIFT CARDS. We also provide Stop & Shop gift cards for distribution by Helping Our Women (HOW) and a church largely serving the area’s Jamaican community. These organizations determine who’s qualified to receive them. 

—MEAL DELIVERY. On two days each week, we home-deliver nutritious meals to those with health, mobility and other qualifying issues. Contact the SKIP office, office@skipfood.org, to set up an interview to determine qualifications.

In addition, SKIP provides input and a link to The Lower Cape Food Access Guide updated in April 2025 by Outer Cape Community Solutions (OCCS). This comprehensive list details food resources available from Provincetown to Eastham, as well as other Cape-wide services. Check out the Resources page on our website, www.skipfood.org/resources, for a link to this guide, or pick up a copy in the SKIP office at 20 Shank Painter Road. 

GINA LARKIN, Executive Chef | CHRISTINA SCIFO, Summer Chef

JOHN STRUMWASSER, Office Coordinator

DIDIER CORALLO, Dishwasher/Utility Person

SKIP Office Hours: Monday - Friday, 10-2/Phone: 508.487.8331

If you'd like to contact the editor, please email us at newsletter@skipfood.org.