Dinner, mending, energy assistance at next Kingston Community Meal

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, July 21, 2026

During the Aug. 14 Kingston Community Meal at the Village Green Community Center, participants can enjoy a “three-fer”- a dinner, free onsite mending, and information about energy assistance.

The meal, prepared and served by Kingston Severe Weather Shelter volunteers, is free and will include a taco salad with sides and a chocolate Texas sheet cake. There will be a vegetarian option. The free onsite mending will be offered by Bethanne Galloway of All About Sewing.

Dinner will be served from 5-6:30 p.m. Galloway and an assistant will be on hand to sew on buttons, repair hems and seams in clothing (no zippers please), and patch holes and rips, a news release says.

Galloway was recently honored as Grand Marshall of Kingston’s Fourth of July parade. She was one of the first volunteers when the Kingston Severe Weather Shelter opened over a decade ago. She says she is willing to continue to provide mending services at future community meals if there is sufficient demand.

Representatives from Puget Sound Energy will also be on hand to help diners apply for discounts, grants and rebates on their electric bills.

Kingston Care coordinates the free community meals, which are prepared and served by local organizations and businesses. The first Kingston community meal was hosted in 2018 by severe weather shelter volunteers and the meals have been a regular community event on the second Friday of each month when a different host serves between 180-200 meals, per the release.

If your neighborhood organization, church, or business would like to provide a meal or contribute ingredients, or if you would like to volunteer to help cook, serve or clean up at these meals, visit kingstoncares.org/kingston-cares-community-meal for more information.