A few minutes before 6 p.m. on a mid-spring Friday, Frances Rose Subbiondo tipped a huge pot of spaghetti tossed with tomato and donated local ground beef into a stainless-steel serving bowl and scraped extra sauce into a china bowl. She’d just wrapped up cooking for Plainfield’s free weekly co mmunity meal in the Grace United Methodist Church basement. Nearby, the cover of a spaghetti tub bore a helpful reminder that “three big fistfuls” is the recommended serving size for the night’s main dish, given the unpredictable number of people who might show up. Before the pandemic, community dinners took place on and off for decades in the small Washington County town of about 1,300 people, according to East Montpelier resident Ethan O’Hara. In 2024, when he was living in Plainfield, he restarted the tradition with his neighbor, Alice Sky. They have since become romantic partners. Diners outside a community meal at Grace United Methodist Church in Plainfield Credit: Melissa Pasanen “We wanted something that was public with free food that got our neighbors together,” O’Hara said. “Especially in the COVID aftermath, we were craving community.” More than two years later, the gatherings draw up to a couple dozen locals for a nourishing meal, with a hearty serving of connection on the side. About 25 people, preschoolers to retirees, came to the April 24 dinner, prepared by volunteers who shared prep, set-up and cleaning duty. Cash and food donations, plus small grants from community sponsors such as Hunger Mountain Co-op, help pay for ingredients. The parade of dishes included rice, sauerkraut, braised local pork jowl and Tuscan white beans. Attendees brought vegan potato-leek soup, red pepper dip and a plate of gluten-free ginger cookies, which sat next to the donation jar. Popping up from under the table, Sputnik, one of O’Hara’s 5-year-old twins, declared: “I had plain pasta, sauce pasta and a ginger cookie that I did not really like.” Mitch Pauley and other diners Credit: Melissa Pasanen Back when he and Sky restarted the meals, O’Hara said, he was a stay-at-home dad and had time to cook for a crowd. Subbiondo, who owns Community Supported Kitchen, a Plainfield purveyor of prepared foods, pantry staples and herbal medicines, soon joined the cooking rotation. Now, O’Hara and Sky sometimes come with their kids just to enjoy the meal. “It’s such a relief as a parent not to have to cook every night,” he said. Older folks reported similar relief. Mac Lore of East Montpelier said he comes frequently, although he sometimes finds it hard to hear in the church basement. “It’s nice to share meals over conversation,” Lore said. Local music legend J. Willis Pratt wore a sparkly jacket over a T-shirt featuring his younger self playing the guitar. “I had a bit more hair then,” he remarked. Pratt lives alone. “I come for the pasta, and it’s good to hang out with people,” he said. A cluster of younger attendees included Jaime Hammack, Plainfield’s town clerk. Hammack, who uses they/them pronouns, said the meals are a fun way to meet neighbors beyond the office. They were chatting with a new acquaintance about playing music together. “We’re gonna make a band,” Hammack said enthusiastically. From June through September, the free meals move to the church lawn, site of the Friday-night Plainfield Farmers Market. Subbiondo will cook every week this summer while vending as Community Supported Kitchen. To juggle both, she has streamlined the menu to a bean dish with sourdough bread or rice and at least one substantial side dish made by a rotating volunteer. Potluck contributions round out the meal. Pasta and sauce Credit: Melissa Pasanen Despite her busy schedule, Subbiondo is committed to the weekly meals. As vice chair of Plainfield’s selectboard, she knows intimately how hard the town was hit by flooding in 2023 and 2024. Coming together “felt even more important after that,” she said. “I believe in a regular event. It encourages people to bring their energy and their love and make it their own,” Subbiondo said. “It gives us a chance to be with and hear from the people with whom we share this place.” ➆ Plainfield community meals take place Friday nights from 6 to 7 p.m. at Grace United Methodist Church, 13 Mill St., Plainfield. Free or by donation. From June through September, they are part of Plainfield Community Night, which starts at 4 p.m. and includes live music and a farmers market. Learn more on the Plainfield Farmers Market Facebook page. The original print version of this article was headlined “Supper Club | In Plainfield, free weekly community meals nourish and connect” The post Plainfield’s Free Friday Meals Nourish and Connect appeared first on Seven Days. ...read more read less