New Hampshire - ~Mountain Men help Farmington church with soup kitchen~
FARMINGTON - The Mountain Men motorcycle club donated $375 to the First Congregational Church on Thursday, a move its members say is typical of the group's involvement in the community.
Rochester mayoral candidate Joshua Colwell and several other Mountain Men members, one of whom came with a baby in tow, gathered outside the church in hopes of changing misconceptions about the club's activity.
Rochester mayoral candidate and Mountain Men club member Josh Colwell donates $375 on behalf of the Strafford County chapter of Mountain Men for use at the food pantry at the First Congregational Church of Farmington Thursday. From left are Jack, who declined to give his last name, Deb Covey-Lee, Josh Colwell and Kendall, who also declined to give his last name. John Huff/Staff photographer
"We get a lot of negative publicity, but people don't really see the positive," Colwell said. "People want to talk about the negative, not the positive."
"We're a brotherhood," added Mountain Men member Kendall, who declined to give his last name. Kendall said the group often donates to local food pantries and other causes. The club organized a motorcycle run last year when Lauren Spear, a Rochester girl, needed a liver transplant, he said.
Kendall said the brotherhood concept is hard to explain. He said the club members come together around their common interests, such as motorcycles and the outdoors, and form a fraternal group, just as the Elks or other organizations do.
The Mountain Men date back to 1973. The club originated in Vermont and expanded throughout northern New England. The Strafford County chapter is the only one remaining in New Hampshire, he said.
Deb Covey-Lee, a volunteer with the church who is organizing a soup kitchen, was thrilled to receive the donation. The Mountain Men donation doubled what she had already collected.
"I think it's fantastic," she said of the Mountain Men's donation. The donations are critical to her plan to run a soup kitchen at the church, she said. She said she feels blessed and that the donation helped to ensure that everything is coming into place.
"It's great. What they're trying to do is overcome a stigma," she said.
The church has organized Christmas dinners in the past, but Covey-Lee said this is her first attempt at running a soup kitchen through the winter. The church will be holding "donations only" meals during the month of November. People are invited to attend and donate whatever they can in return. The dinners are scheduled for Nov. 1, 15, and 29 from 3 to 5 p.m.
In December, the church will hold dinners on the first and third Sundays and thereafter "play it by ear," she said.
Regardless of the outcome of the Rochester mayoral election, Colwell said he believes he has made a difference and he wants to continue giving back to the community.
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