Church-N-The Hood Hosted At Red Door Church
Church-N-The Hood
Hosted At Red Door Church

ONEONTA – Doris L. Spearbeck, 89, a nurse at SUNY Oneonta’s clinic for 30 years, passed away in Syracuse on Feb. 17, 2020, surrounded by family, following a brief illness.
She was born on March 20, 1930, and raised on the Loudon Farm in Walton. As a child she enjoyed skating and tending to the baby piglets. She graduated from Walton High School and Wilson School of Nursing in Johnson City, where her roommate introduced her to the love of her life.
She worked as a registered nurse at SUNY Oneonta Health & Wellness Center from 1968 to 1998. She started part-time and through her dedication and true concern of the students put into her care, she rose to supervisor of the department. She made lifetime friends along the way.
ONEONTA – Awanda B. Olmstead, 89, who was active in the First United Presbyterian “Red Door” Church for almost six decades, passed into the Lord’s care on Nov. 4, 2019.
She was at Robinson Terrace Nursing Home in Stamford, under the compassionate care of nursing staff, Hospice professionals, volunteers and church family members.
Awanda Belle Aldrich was born on Jan. 12, 1930, East Masonville, daughter of Cecil B. and Anna B. (Gifford) Aldrich.
She graduated from Sidney Central High School in 1949 and New York State Ag & Tech (now SUNY Delhi) in 1950.
BROADWAY CONCERT – 2:30 p.m. Sing A Song of Broadway presents more “Wishes, Lies, and Dreams” featuring music from My Fair Lady, Mary Poppins, Into the Woods, Seussical, Camelot, and many more! $10. First United “Red Door” Presbyterian Church, Oneonta. Info, (607) 287-8669
FAREWELL CONCERT – 7:30 p.m. The Catskill Symphony Orchestra performs works by Beethoven, Rutter, followed by Maestro Charles Schneider’s farewell performance of the 2nd, 3rd, 4th movements of Symphony No. 5 by Dimitri Shostakovich followed by a reception. Tickets, $30. Hunt Union Ballroom, SUNY Oneonta. Call 607-436-2670 or visit catskillsymphony.net
BABY SHOWER – 9 a.m. – Noon. Annual community baby shower featuring information & mini-classes from providers on pregnancy, breastfeeding, fatherhood, babies, birth, breastfeeding, and beyond. Door prizes & games galore. FoxCare Center, Oneonta. Call 607-433-8000 or visit www.facebook.com/ofoinc/
MUSEUM REOPENING – 10 a.m.-3 p.m. The A.J. Read Science Discovery Center reopens to the public featuring new exhibits and activities for all ages. SUNY Oneonta. Info, www.oneonta.edu/sdc/ or email douglas.reilly@oneonta.edu
GUITAR BASICS – 5-7 p.m. Free workshop with instructor John Arlet to learn to play guitar. Bring your own instrument. Space is limited. Registration required. The Library Room at The Turning Point, 22 Elm St., Oneonta. Info, www.friendsofrecoverydo.org/events
SUNY THEATER – 8 p.m. Theater department production of “Colony Collapse.” Hamblin Theater, Fine Arts Building, 108 Ravine Pkwy., Oneonta. Info, oneonta.edu/academics/theatre/
GRILLED CHEESE DINNER – 5-8 p.m. Enjoy an evening of comfort food utilizing local cheeses prepared by local chefs. Also with 4 seasonal soups, beer, wine, cider, dessert, and live music. Benefits Cooperstown Farmers Market. Tickets adult $25, Child $15. under 6 free.Cooperstown Farmers market, 101 Main St. in Pioneer Alley, Cooperstown. Info, www.otsego2000.org
RECEPTION – 1-3 p.m. Celebrating the Oneonta Trolley Line exhibit. Free and open to the public. Greater Oneonta Historical Society, 183 Main St., Oneonta. Info, www.oneontahistory.org/upcomingevents.htm#More
WINTER CONCERT – 3-5 p.m. The Little Delaware Youth Ensemble perform under the direction of Uli Speth. Anderson Theater, Hartwick College, Oneonta. Info, www.ldye.org
At right, Reginald Brunson, Hobart, delivers an impassioned rendering of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” speech at this afternoon’s MLK Day commemoration organized by the NAACP, Oneonta Chapter, at the First Presbyterian “Red Door” Church at Main Street and Walling Avenue. Above, D.J. Wood sings Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together,” accompanied by Gennero Falco on piano and Sadiq Abdushahid on drums. (Ian Austin/AllOTSEGO.com)
It doesn’t matter if you’re from Oneonta or elsewhere, if your family is rich or poor, if you’re seven or 17 – if a kid is hungry, Catholic Charities and the First United Presbyterian Church will have lunch ready.
“We realized there was no summer feeding program in Oneonta,” said Nadine Stenson, one of the program’s coordinators at the “Red Door” church. “There’s been a huge need for food for kids.”
It’s a program that Catholic Charities has been trying to get in place for several years, said Christy Houck, program director. “Child hunger goes up in the summer – the schools provide one, sometimes two meals and a snack during the school year, but in the summer, that’s more food the families have to buy. And unfortunately, some kids just go without.”
The Summer Food Service Program is sponsored through a USDA grant and administered by the state Education Department, reimbursing sponsors for meals served. Catholic Charities had the grant application but no way to cost-effectively staff the program; the church had volunteers in search of new community missions, but no plans in place.
“Everyone wants to feed kids,” said Houck.
The two collaborated, and from now through the end of August, Monday through Friday, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., kids up to age 18 can go to the large pavilion in Neahwa park and get a sandwich on whole wheat bread, a piece of fruit, a vegetable and milk.
In the Riverside School district, where the program is located, 50 percent of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. “If we can help these families by eliminating the need to buy one meal a day, it can help them stretch their budgets a little further,” said Houck.
The city gave them free use of the pavilion, and they coordinated times with the YMCA’s park program, which ends at noon, so that children could come down and eat after spending the morning playing in the park. Flyers announcing were distributed at the schools, the YMCA and the Boys & Girls Club.
“We don’t take names,” said Stenson. “You can come from any county, any state. Any child can just come by.”
On the program’s first day, Monday, July 7, Red Door Church volunteers made 75 chicken salad sandwiches, with baby carrots and an apple. And despite the rain, 24 kids, including several teens on break from summer jobs, stopped by the pavilion for lunch. “We’re hoping for more,” said Houck. “We know the need is out there.”