LOCALadk Magazine

Community Lunch Story by Bethany Garretson Photos by John DiGiacomo It's a beautiful day for early November in Lake Placid. The air is still and a balmy 56 degrees. Flocks of Canada geese raid the shoreline of Mirror Lake, plucking at and squabbling over the choicest grass. Foot traffic streams in and out of the Post Office. Visitor's stroll down to the Olympic Center with maps in hand. Mount Marcy rises in the dis- tance with cumulus clouds overhead and in the valley there's a dab of color as hardwoods cling to their most resilient leafs. All told, it's another picturesque day in the Adirondacks. On the lawn of Adirondack Community Church, a sign advertises, Free Lunch, 11:00-12:30. If you were to follow the Church's cobblestone path, it would lead to a wooden ramp and the church entrance. Inside, you are enveloped in the warmth and aroma of cooking. Often referred to as The Community Lunch Program, the Lake Placid North Elba Lunch Program was started in 2011 by Pat Jorgenson, who is described by others as a leader and a mentor with a gem of a soul. Jorgenson noticed a need for social and nutritional nourishment in the community and patterned the model off the Community Lunchbox Program in Saranac Lake. The Community Lunch Program runs out of The Adirondack Community Church every Wednesday, always from 11:00am to 12:30pm. However, the program is not run by the church itself - it's a collaborative network of approximately 30 volunteers. "We are feeding people that are in need of a nutritious hot meal," says Nancy Corwin, one of the current and original volunteers. The team of volunteers, usually comprised of five to six members, has been in the kitchen since late morning preparing the meal. 46 Winter 2014

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