MEXICO — A soup kitchen will open to the public beginning Dec. 28 in the Calvin Lyons Meeting Room, downstairs at the Mexico Town Hall.

Michelle Williams, 59, said she and her volunteers will be putting on a hot meal from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. It will be open every Thursday unless a holiday or a snow closing. The meal is free but there will be a donation bucket for those who can donate a little to help with costs.

Williams said, “We’re also going to have outreach programs every week with the soup kitchen.

• 1st Thursday — Larry Labonte Recovery Center to do Narcan training;

• 2nd Thursday — Med-Care Ambulance will do frostbite checks and other health monitoring;

• 3rd Thursday — Glenn Gordon of OPTIONS;

• 4th Thursday — Courtnie Lovely-Young of Rumford Group Homes, Inc.

On Friday, about 30 people attended a fundraiser supper to help with the soup kitchen.

Among those attending was Michael Stanton, who earlier donated 20 turkeys at Thanksgiving to feed 60 families.

Stanton, owner of MGS Property Management of Mexico, located right across the street from the soup kitchen, said, “This is something that is needed here, with the possibilities of other things to come.”

He said, “When there’s homeless people, people out in the cold, they come to me immediately and I try to get whoever I know together. We actually have people staying at my office, starting tomorrow (Dec. 2). There’s such a waiting list.”

“Right now, we’re in the red because it takes a lot to get this started…I would like to do one of these every other month,” said Williams.

Williams also will offer a food pantry, which will be open on an emergency basis by appointment. Call (207) 418-1265 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and leave a message and a contact number.

There are several ways people can donate to this effort, both for the soup kitchen and the food pantry.

Cash donations — Pay Pal and Venmo @mainiacmom67. Call (207) 418-1265 to process debit or credit card via Square; or donate personally to Town Manager Raquel Welch-Day at Mexico Town Office.

Food donations can be dropped of at the Town Hall, 134 Main St. in Mexico, or at 20 Maple St. in Mexico.

Want to volunteer for events or soup kitchen, call Michelle at (207) 418-1265 to be placed on a volunteer list.

Items in need of now due to holiday pantry include hams, turkeys, canned vegetables, pasta, instant potatoes, paste sauce, stuffing, gravy mixes, cranberry sauce, apple sauce, pancake mix and syrup and oatmeal.

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