To the editor:
Did we all get enough? Enough food, enough presents, enough parties, enough company? Were our tummies and stockings full enough? Were our families here long enough?
Did we give enough?
I'm one of those who gives here and there throughout the year but saves most of it for year end. I look at where I think my money is most needed, what I want to support and how much I can afford to give. Then, in the blissful lull of that week between Christmas and New Year's, I contemplate my many blessings and write my checks.
This year, I'll be writing another one for the Community Store - not because it will save women walking miles to get water, or because it will protect unique ecosystems in South America, but because it will save someone right here in my Saranac Lake family the cost of a tank of gas or the trip in a car, someone who can't afford any extra miles.
When there is so much that the world needs, is our Community Store really so important? Yes! I know too many people living right here who are poorer this year than they were last, who are practicing household economies that they never dreamed of before now. By bringing the Community Store to Saranac Lake, I can help them while helping myself.
Bob Seidenstein writes so delightfully about "Our Town"; I love his tales of Saranac Lake then and now. One of his recurring themes is the sense of community that we enjoy and what a rare commodity that has become in our current world. Those of us who are transplants from elsewhere can attest to that! The creative and caring energy in this town is virtually unique; it is a treasure made available to all of us.
Since I moved here seven-plus years ago, I've seen countless examples of that energy. The Community Store is one. Begun with an idea shared by a few, then embraced and supported by many, the dream of our very own department store in Saranac Lake is about to become a reality. They are just 245 shares away! That's all! Two hundred and forty-five shares will trigger the matching funds that are waiting to take them to their goal of $500,000. Two hundred and forty-five shares that can be purchased by individuals, families, groups of friends, co-workers, all of those who make up our unique and very special Saranac Lake family. Two hundred and forty-five shares that will enable us to fill an empty building in our downtown area, employ local residents and provide all of us with somewhere close and inexpensive to shop for all those things we can't get here right now. And, yes, it will also bring more outsiders to Saranac Lake to shop, which is good for all our retailers and allied businesses.
So when you're counting your blessings and your money at the end of this year, will you please include the Community Store in your giving? Those who have already invested could perhaps invest one more time; those who have always planned to invest but just haven't got around to it, can seize this opportunity to be part of something incredibly special - curbside evidence of this incredible place we all love to call home, Saranac Lake.
Franny Preston
Saranac Lake
P.S.: To buy shares, call Melinda Little at 891-0197 or Allan Brown at 891-3464, or visit community-store.org.