At the end of the village stood a house. The old lady knocked on the door and explained to the lady of the house that she was in dire need of food. “I’m sorry,” the lady replied. “I can scarcely feed my own
family! I can give you nothing.”

Again and again the old woman asked for food at every house in the village, but was turned down by all the villagers. The old woman went to the center of the village and pulled a large pot and a stone out of her bag. Curious villagers watched as the old woman built a fire under the large pot and placed the stone and water in the pot.

One villager asked, “Why do you waste your time boiling a stone?” “This is no waste of time,” she replied. “I’m preparing a delicious stone soup which I’ll be happy to share with you. But to make it even more
delicious, if you could find a bit of carrot or an onion or old squash, we can add that to the soup.”

One by one the curious onlookers began bringing bits and pieces of vegetables from their sparse larders to the boiling pot, which was soon filled to the brim. And it wasn’t long before the satisfying aroma of boiling
vegetable soup could be noticed throughout the village.

The old woman tasted the hot, vegetable goodness and announced,“The Stone Soup is ready. Bring your cups and bowls and enjoy a tasty and nutritious meal.” There was more than enough for all; and, indeed, cheered and warmed by the wonderful soup, all the villagers agreed the stone soup made the best meal they had eaten for a long, long time. That night neither the villagers or the old woman went to bed hungry.

“What can be accomplished when individuals pull
together toward a common goal.”