GLEN SPEY, NY — Take a caring group of people who want to make a difference. Add one good, decent person. Stir in a genuine need. Sprinkle liberally with concern, camaraderie and love. That’s the recipe for community, and it was in evidence at the Lumberland Firehouse in Glen Spey on August 19.

Members of the Lumberland Fire Department and Auxiliary, congregants of the Pond Eddy United Methodist and Eldred Congregational churches and a host of other citizens joined forces to assist Kathie Gottlieb of Yulan, who has suffered the effects of late-diagnosed Lyme disease. Conventional medicine and health insurance have failed her, so Kathie is seeking alternative medical treatments, which are hard to find locally or even within a reasonable distance, and are  expensive, especially when the costs are borne out-of-pocket.

The firemen, joined by several of Kathie’s friends, were at the ready at 7:30 a.m. to receive the delivery of chicken, which was picked up at 6 a.m. that morning. All day the men cleaned and prepared the chicken, turning and basting the 500 half-pieces over the fire department’s vast charcoal fire pit. They also shucked 500 ears of corn, while the womenfolk addressed the inside of the firehouse, set tables, prepared bake sale and raffle displays, and established the logistics of serving macaroni salad, coleslaw and baked beans prepared the day before and stored in large plastic tubs. Five hundred brownies were home-baked and individually wrapped, and sodas, water and iced tea were chilled in vats of ice.

The air was electric with anticipation as the community worked in unity to help their friend and colleague.

Organizers were overjoyed at the outpouring of support from businesses and individuals who stepped forward to add their special talents and treasure to the event, in the form of in-kind services, products or contributions of cash or time. The weeks of legwork, shopping, organizing and advertising were labors of love.

And the people came by the hundreds. With smiles on their faces, they toted bags of take-out or fellowshipped at the tables, which were adorned with beautiful flower bouquets contributed by a local florist.

The meal was, in a word, delicious. Clearly the secret ingredient was love.

The result of the group’s efforts was equally delicious. Over $9,000 was raised to help the Gottliebs with medical expenses and to give them a tangible token of the esteem in which they are held. When told of the proceeds from the evening, husband Joe was uncharacteristically without words. Kathie likewise was having trouble finding adequate words to express her gratitude.

Though the news is always there to alarm and dismay us, events like this, repeated whenever and wherever there is need, truly have the power to change the world for the better.  There is unity in our community and it is glorious to behold.