On Thursday evening, June 9, at 6:30 p.m. at The Garden City Hotel, the Mineola-Garden City Rotary Club will hold its 15th annual Community Service Award dinner honoring Maurice Kirby, an active Rotarian, along with his wife, Kay, both longtime community volunteers. This prestigious award alternates each year between recipients from Mineola and Garden City. This year, the honorees are Melinda and John Alford, Garden City residents. The Alfords are recognized for their spirit of volunteerism and commitment to community service.

Nine years ago, Melinda and John Alford started a program of providing free dinners to those in need on Thanksgiving at J.B.'s Pub, a restaurant they owned in Mineola. Over the next two years, the project evolved to an expanded service of delivering hot dinners to homebound senior citizens on various holidays throughout the year. As many as 225 meals have been delivered in a single afternoon, each accompanied by a visit when welcomed.

"After closing the restaurant in July of 2001, we debated whether we could continue our expanded project, but after much consideration, we realized we had gotten so much more out of this service than we had ever put into it. We simply could not abandon it," Melinda Alford said. "A family tradition for the past nine years, we have been coordinating this effort from our home along with our five children and a multitude of volunteers handling the food preparation and deliveries. It is a program we feel privileged to be part of."

The Alfords are quick to acknowledge the generous donations of food, money and time of countless volunteers who have made the food deliveries such a tremendous success over the years. "With such help, we intend to continue to bring a meal and a smile to those who are alone on the holidays," they said. Volunteers continue to be welcome and may call the Alfords at 746-2155 regarding any part of the project.

Friends, associates and residents are cordially invited to attend this festive awards dinner saluting the Alfords. Reservations at $60 per person may be made by calling Maureen Clancy at 746-2155 or by mailing a check, made payable to the Mineola-Garden City Rotary Club, to Maureen Clancy, Clancy & Clancy Brokerage, Ltd., 114 Seventh Street, Garden City, New York 11530.