Sounds simple, but lots of behind-the-scenes work was done before the July kick-off. For one thing, the kitchen in the city's multi-purpose room had to be rebuilt to meet health standards. Grants had to be applied for and approved. Menus had to be prepared. A cook and cook assistant had to be hired.

Last week, with steak featured on Friday's menu, the lunch drew a crowd of 30 diners. Not bad for a community with less than 270 full-time residents.

"When I originally wrote the grant, I figured on an average of 15 people per meal, so we're doing way better than we thought," Murray said.

Dick Wyland, a former mayor of Seldovia, also played a key part in getting the program back in operation. Like Murray, he points to the huge effort needed to get the program back into action.

"We had a lot of volunteer labor," Wyland said. "We had to outsource some of it -- a carpenter helped me finish the project and someone was hired to lay the floor, do the plumbing, that type of thing -- but we did the manual labor, painting, drywall."

In addition to the building crew, the youngest of which was 62 and the oldest 76, there also was support from other areas. A charter operator donated fresh halibut. A gift of tanner crab put crab cakes on the menu and set Seldovia mouths watering. Several Homer businesses put food orders together and another Seldovia resident, who has his own airplane, picks up the orders on his flights across the bay. Now, Wyland is "trying to elbow some of the commercial guys" into contributing fresh fish.

Wyland's wife, Jan, is among the program's many advocates.

"You know, with the economy tightening down, some people are just having a hard time. This gives a social outlet and they don't feel like they're outcast," Jan Wyland said.

City Manager Tim Dillon said grants from the state and borough total around $41,000. The city's in-kind donation is approximately $16,000. The $4 suggested donation for qualified diners and $9 per guest brings in another $8,000-$9,000 which is put back into the program. The only two employees are Camille Turner, the cook, and her assistant, Missy Corradi. The women's culinary expertise is partly behind the program's success.

"They are terrific cooks and good food will always attract people," Jan Wyland said.

The opportunity to visit also is a draw, with the crowd hanging around after the last dirty dish has been picked up. The local library, located in the same building, has expanded its hours to match one of the mealtimes for the seniors' benefit. Out-of-towners have been warmly welcomed and entertained with stories of how Seldovia used to be.

"It's not just about eating. It's really about quality of living," Dillon said. "When I talked to the state, they said this is really a model program."

The senior lunch program was formerly offered through Seldovia Village Tribe. However, the tribe lost state funding, and subsequently borough dollars, when it refused to sign a state-required waiver of the tribe's sovereign immunity. Signing the waiver would have made SVT subject to legal recourse as a result of any actions or claims arising from the state-dispersed funds.

Photo by Mary Glover After preparing Friday's lunch, Camillle Turner, left, and Missy Corradi fill plates to serve guests at the Seldovia senior lunch program.

"It's a gathering place and I'm really proud of it," Wyland said. "It's so strange because I set my days of the week by it. Monday, Wednesday, Friday. I can't miss."

Dillon has developed a reputation for his frequent visits to see how the program is running.

"My kids know I go over there periodically in the afternoon, so they'll text me and say, 'Hey, Dad, what did you have for dessert today?'" Dillon said, laughing.

And if a regular fails to show up, there's the friendly call to make sure everything is OK.

"We always check on each other," Murray said. "And if there's food left over, we send that home with people as well."