Oakhurst Diner feeds those in need thanks to community support

MILLERTON — A routine dog walk has led to dozens of area residents receiving much-needed free meals from the Oakhurst Diner, a program that diner manager Clare Caramanica hopes others will begin to support so the meals can continue.

“I was taking my dog for a walk, and I was talking to a friend of mine who lost her job,” Caramanica explained. “She was someone who supported the diner in the past. I was like, in my mind saying, ‘How can I help her?’”

Recalling that the diner had T-shirts available for sale, she asked Paul Harney, co-owner with Justin Panzer, if she could sell the shirts with 50 cents per shirt going toward feeding families.

“He has more faith than I do,” she said, so he rejected the original shirt plan and suggested instead they should just “start doing free meals every other day for the community.” 

Caramanica acknowledged she was “a little scared,” but as soon as the word began to spread, the community responded with donations.

By the end of the program’s first night, on Thursday, April 16, with 75 meals served, both the funds and Caramanica were totally exhausted and those who received the meals were “incredibly grateful.”

The diner manager said she was overcome with emotions, which continued through the next morning and beyond, as she was immediately encouraged as the day started with six callers making donations. 

Those contributions are critical she said, because “it can only work with the community helping out” to cover the $10 per meal cost it takes to feed one person, with the diner making “zero profit.”

Caramanica said she is anxious to see the meals continue because she hates to “see anyone suffer, but people are loosing their jobs and they have nothing, and unemployment is not coming through for a lot of people.”  

She said that depending on the season, the diner might normally serve 200 to 300 meals a day, and that now it’s “lucky to do 30 people,” which she said is “enough to keep the doors open, but it’s totally different. We were doing hospitality and now we’re just trying to serve the community as best we can.”

With the diminished business, Caramanica is concerned about the diner’s own employees, whom she considers family. 

“We are giving as much as we can to the employees we laid off,” she said.

The staff has diminished from 12 to five employees but she is most hopeful that some will soon be returning to work at the diner, which continues to provide takeout under the state’s current regulations. 

“If anyone wants to donate toward this they can call and pay by phone or send a check as well,” Caramanica concluded. “If we do get excess funds, which it doesn’t look like we’re going to, we’ve already promised we’ll forward it to the local food bank. We’re not looking to make any money off this.”

Menus, meal dates and other information are updated on Facebook and Instagram. Requests for free meals should be called into 518-592-1313 before 3 p.m., with scheduled pick-ups at the diner at 19 Main St.  between 3 and 5 p.m.