Courtesy Rosa Frank

To Martha Freeman, a children’s book author, and her husband, November through March is “soup season.” Every Wednesday, they open their home in State College, Pa., to friends and newcomers who come for vegetarian soup and conversation. Attendance at Soup Night has grown steadily, and this year, Freeman invited 100 people—from longtime friends to someone she’d just met at a PTA meeting. Over the years, the kids in the group have grown, so parents, no longer chasing after toddlers, can relax in the kitchen over a glass of wine. “I find more brownies ground into the living room carpet,” she remarks, “but I know that people are having a better time.” There’s been the occasional drama, such as running out of soup or the dog biting guests, but Freeman plans to continue the ritual. “I spend the morning chopping onions, and in return, I get the undying gratitude of people in the neighborhood.”