For voters who work up an appetite casting ballots during today's presidential election, some community groups offer meals not far from polling sites.
Spaghetti, lasagna, roast beef, apple pie and other desserts will be the nonpolitical Election Day fare offered by about a dozen area groups today.
Members have been stirring pots to fix lunches or suppers for voters, and at least three fundraiser organizers said they expect turnout at the meal sites to reflect the higher poll turnout projected.
``In other years when we've had this knockdown type of election, we've had quite a number of people,'' said Marie D. Iannotti, president of the Laurens American Legion Auxiliary, Unit 1688.
Iannotti said the group aims to raise $300 or more to send a Laurens student to Empire Girls State, a weeklong program about government. Members will serve a roast pork meal at the Legion Building on Main Street from 5 to 7 p.m. The dinner costs $8 for adults and $5 for children, she said.
Community and church groups have set prices from an unspecified donation to $9. Funds raised are designated for expenses ranging from operating costs to renovations and programs.
At the Worcester Firehouse, the tomato sauce for spaghetti will start cooking at 9 a.m. today for dinner served between 4 and 7 p.m., said Sid Chase, captain of the Worcester Emergency Squad.
Tonight's Election Day dinner is the squad's 40th annual donation fundraiser. After decades of serving spaghetti, the sauce recipe has been refined, he said, and on Election Day, the aroma of the freshly prepared sauce wafts throughout the firehouse.
``It's always nice to come in and smell the spaghetti sauce cooking,'' Chase said. ``A lot of people like our sauce.''
Organizers expect to serve about 500 guests and have about 120 pounds of dry pasta on hand, he said, and Worcester firefighters, auxiliary members and others help with the dinner because it is such a large project.
The dinner is the annual fundraising event for the squad, which has 28 members, Chase said, and tonight's event could raise $3,000. Crews respond to 300 to 400 calls a year in Worcester, East Worcester, South Worcester and Decatur. Officials said that since its inception, the department has answered more than 8,500 calls.
The polling site also is at the firehouse, Chase said, and it's difficult to imagine that voters and guests won't be talking at some point about the election over dinner. National elections tend to increase voter turnout, and Chase said the expectation is that the race between Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain will have that result.
``There seems to be a lot of people mightily for one or the other,'' he said.
Vivian Groat, treasurer at the Franklin Methodist Church, said servers are planning for 100 at lunch and 100 at dinner, with hopes of raising $800 to $1,000.
``Because of the presidential election, we get such a good turnout,'' said Groat, who will be working as an election inspector Tuesday. ``But you never know.''
Groat said the men of the church are preparing ``ham loaf,'' a combination of ham and pork similar to a meatloaf.
``It is delicious,'' she said.
Money raised will go toward the church's fuel costs, Groat said. The church didn't sign a contract for fuel this year because of price volatility, she said.
Usually, only lunch is served on Election Day, she said, but higher fuel costs and the projected turnout for the presidential contest prompted the church men to decide to offer dinner, too.
The meals will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and from 4 to 7 p.m., and Groat said the cost is $7 for adults, $4 for children and no charge for children younger than 5.
Other meals offered by area organizations include:
West Oneonta Fire Department _ barbecue chicken dinner starting at 4:30 p.m.
Gilbertsville Baptist Church _ soup and sandwich lunch 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; lasagna dinner from 5 to 7 p.m.
Cherry Valley Rebekah Lodge _ smorgasbord from 4 to 7 p.m.
Conesville Fire House _ Conesville Sunday School will sponsor a baked ziti dinner starting at 4:30 p.m.
Jordanville Federated Church of Christ, Main Street _ roast beef dinner starting at 4:30 p.m.; co-sponsored by the church and Jordanville Public Library.
Garrattsville Firehouse _ The Butternut Valley Cemetery Association will serve a spaghetti supper from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m.
East Worcester United Methodist Church _ beef stew from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
First Presbyterian Church in Stamford _ turkey dinner served from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Edmeston Central School _ the Edmeston United Methodist Church will serve a turkey dinner from 4:30 to 7 p.m.
Charlotteville Schoolhouse _ the Restoration Committee will serve a spaghetti dinner from 4 to 8 p.m.
