Pam and Vern Duzan were extremely thankful for their free lunch Friday. The lasagna they were quietly eating came courtesy of Joseph Salas and his cadre of volunteers at the United Methodist Church in Grass Valley.

The church is home to the monthly Lunch at the Crossroads, a community meal for the needy, the elderly, or those who just want some company.

“We’re homeless and living out of a car,” Pam Duzan said. “This is a place to eat, and the food is good.”

At a nearby table of surplus food donated by area stores and restaurants for patrons to take away, Jack Richey of Grass Valley explained why he was there.

“The food’s always good, and I came to be with good people,” he said.

The monthly lunches started three years ago after Salas decided to start a program similar to one he used to volunteer for in the Bay Area after he had a stroke.

“I went to a lot of churches, and they told me no” until the Methodist church accepted his proposal.

“I felt like the community needed a place they could come and communicate, get full, get food donations and to go home happy,” Salas said. “It’s Grass Valley, but it’s not all the people with big homes.

“I’m like the mother bear here,” Salas said. “I know these people and they tell me what they need. Some have addictions, some are homeless and some just want to talk or come and eat.”

It takes Salas about three weeks to set up every lunch from his apartment in Grass Valley, where he lives on state disability payments.

During those weeks, “I go out and beg” for food, volunteers and the musicians he brings to every lunch. On Friday, Dakota Sid was entertaining.

“A lot of these volunteers are disabled,” Salas said, and want to give back for the help they’ve received.

One of them is Carole Alietti of Nevada City.

“I’ve had cancer for 16 years, and I’ve received a lot of support, so this is how I give back,” Alietti said. “It’s important because many of us are a paycheck away from having to look for help.”

“We actually have guests that come who end up volunteering,” said Judy Petrie, of Alta Sierra, who donates her time and labor at the lunches with husband Phil Petrie.



“It’s terrific. Even people who need assistance have a way to give back, and we could serve a lot more people.”

“A lot of people are hurting,” Phil Petrie said. “We make sure they have free food and a free lunch.”

“I’m volunteering because we have so many homeless,” said Walt Starritt of Penn Valley. “Unfortunately, sometimes we look the other way.”

In future months, Salas would like to bring in doctors and nurses to give free checkups to the patrons who need them. He would also like to expand the lunch program.

“I don’t have the donations yet, but I’d like to do this every two weeks,” he said.

To contact Senior Staff Writer Dave Moller, e-mail dmoller@theunion.com or call 477-4237.