BURKE - People from across the Northeast Kingdom flocked to bazaars and luncheons all across the area this weekend. The Burke meal site volunteers have spent months preparing for one of their biggest events of the year, and the board members and volunteers were up before the sun to prepare for the first part of their event, which was their Hunters Breakfast.
The event started at 4 A.M., with anxious meal goers waiting bright and early, and ended at 9 A.M.
Priscilla Aldrich, who was one of the volunteers in charge of running the event, explains how much hard work and preparation is put into getting the event together, "We do a lot of fundraising and this was a new idea that one of the board members had in conjunction with the hunting season, so hunters can come in, anyone is welcome to come in, there has been a lot of other people besides hunters.".
At 10 A.M., the group began offering a luncheon and opened up their bazaar tables to the public. The tables were filled with unique crafts made by people in the community and donated by volunteers. Therese Stone, who is one of the main crafters involved in the event, starts preparing months in advance for the event, and tries to involve as many people as she can, "I'm going to start after January for next year, and try to get some other people, seniors involved in doing it, you know like making crafts.".
While Therese is involved in a lot of the crafts, such as knit scarves and various other things, she takes her creativity and uses it to make crafts using recycled objects that are not necessarily needed anymore, "This little birdhouse, there's a little wine cup from the church that they don't use any more and you put birdseed in it and you make some little birdhouses.".
While the volunteers at the Burke Senior Meal site but in countless hours of hard work, their time and energy certainly doesn't go to waste, as all of the funds made at their luncheons and other events goes right back into the Meal Site, explains Priscilla, "It will go toward running the meal site,and the meal site is open to the public three days a week, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and they'll go to buy the food and keep it operating."
With the proceeds from the hunters breakfast, and bazaar, the meal site can continue to supply meals to those in need, especially during the holiday season. The Meal Site will also be holding events for Thanksgiving, and Christmas, and of course as they will continue to have other events throughout the winter season.