We in Waterville have so much to be thankful for in the way that Carla Caron, Dean Dolham and other volunteers have managed to consistently provide 300 meals a day and a safe place at The Lighthouse at 38 College Ave. for persons without housing, who have limited finances or lack a support network.

I am thrilled that the Waterville City Council took a first vote approving $50,000 of American Rescue Plan Act money be given to our Waterville Area Soup Kitchen. However, I think it unnecessary for the City Council to have restricted $25,000 of this money to be set aside to pay for a grant writer.

I believe Caron and the soup kitchen’s board of directors have already proven they know how to make good decisions in the management of the soup kitchen and plans to sustain it. If they feel it necessary to use some of the $50,000 funds for grant writing services that is fine by me, but it is inappropriate for City Council to micromanage the funds of an organization that has figured out how to serve 5,000 to 5,200 meals a month.

Diane Weinstein

Waterville