CARTHAGE — Two Carthage women have brightened the lives of senior citizens this winter by providing a social event that serves up homemade lunch in a warm venue.

The Gatherings is for Carthage citizens ages 60 and up. Although the doors open at 10 a.m., the event is held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the first and third Wednesdays each month in the Webb River Valley Snowmobile Club’s room at the Carthage Town Office.

“It is for the senior citizens here in Carthage so they will have a warm place to come, get a good meal and just get together, talk and have a good time,” Nancy Blodgett said while stirring a big pot of elbow macaroni atop the stove.

“It’s a wonderful thing,” her husband, Larry Blodgett, said. He was playing cribbage and socializing Wednesday morning with Joseph Berry.

Nancy Blodgett and Anita Weston organize and run The Gatherings, which Weston debuted in January 2014. They ran through the first week in March and resumed in December. “It’s been well received,” Weston said.

It is open only to Carthage residents.

“We want people to come and be warm and that’s why we call it a gathering,” Weston said.

“They can gather, they can talk to their friends in town, they don’t have to hurry,” she said. “They’ve got four hours, they can sit and play cards, make crafts or whatever. We usually have a nice little showing of people that come in. I just enjoy seeing them have a place to meet. These people are really wonderful people.”

Usually 20 or more people participate, but on Wednesday morning 15 had arrived. Weston and Nancy Blodgett said they hope to reach many more of the town’s estimated 100 senior citizens.

“I know there are people in town that are not coming, because they don’t know about it yet,” Blodgett said.

Weston said she has lived in Carthage since the age of 11. Her husband, Banaman “Bob” Weston, is the town’s third selectman.

Anita Weston worked as a claims person for an insurance company until she was afflicted with Lyme disease and could no longer work.

“I was kind of brain dead for a few years, so then my brain came back, I thought of doing this program and approached the selectpeople, and they thought it was a wonderful idea,” she said. “And then I adopted Nancy this year to help me, so it’s worked out very well.”

Once the macaroni was done, Nancy Blodgett and Weston dished it out and topped it with a mixture of diced tomatoes and hamburger to create American chop suey. They also filled plates with homemade garlic bread and a salad and began serving the lunch to the residents socializing and playing cards. Dessert was homemade bread pudding.

Blodgett and Weston don’t ask The Gathering participants to bring anything or make a donation.

“We get reimbursed by the town now, but last year we didn’t,” Weston said. “It all came out of our pockets, but that didn’t matter. It’s something I’ve wanted to do and it’s gone over really well, and we hope to continue it and I hope it continues to go over well.”

Any food left over is given away to participants.

“It’s a good thing to do to help these people, because it’s hard for a lot of these people who have to deal with getting heating oil and such,” Weston said. “This is more or less just to help them out.”

Last month, they served cheeseburgers and hamburgers, salad, potato chips and blueberry cobbler with ice cream. Another time, they made chicken soup with dumplings. And then there are the full course meals with turkey breasts, mashed potatoes and more.

“Whatever we put on the table, they just love it,” Weston said. “And they get to chitchat while they eat, and they’ve known each other for years and years.”

Weston and Blodgett said they didn’t know how long they’d keep providing The Gatherings this winter. But they did say that as long as there is snow on the ground and cold temperatures, it will continue.

“They all love it and they want us to keep going all year long,” Weston said.

At the end of one table, Trudy Bowie, Gail Michaud and Fay Hutchinson were playing Four Kings in the Corner, which Michaud said is a card game.

“It’s a kids’ game that we used to do when we were kids and camping,” Michaud said.

She moved to Carthage four years ago from Woonsocket, R.I., and loves attending and socializing at The Gatherings and putting faces to names.

“I’ve been coming since last year, socializing and I like everyone getting together and knowing everyone, and we go to church together every Sunday,” Michaud said. “We don’t have any senior citizen things to do here, so this is nice.”

For more information, contact Blodgett at 562-7762 or Weston at 562-4253.

tkarkos@sunmediagroup.net

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