The Community Center isn’t usually open on a Saturday night but this Saturday, Jan. 26 will be an exception. Between 4:30 and 6:30 p.m.,  its doors will be open for a soup supper and all members of the community are invited.

Secretary Jen Field told the Boothbay Register,  volunteer coordinator Mary Connelly suggested the idea. Field and Connelly worked on the event and the result will be a buffet of soups, chili and breads. Admission is free but edible or financial contributions are welcome.

“Mary thought it would be great to end the event at 6:30, so those who would like to can be at the Harbor Theater for the show,” Field said. “The Favourite” is the movie being shown at 7 p.m. that evening.

In other Community Center news, more than $2,600 was raised in four days when the Center asked for contributions to support the Coast Guard during the government shutdown. Volunteer Kathy Loewe and her husband Mike asked Field if something could be done to support the Guard members and the answer was “Absolutely.”

With that, Mike Loewe checked to see how contributions could be accepted by the Coast Guard. When the process was identified, the Center put the word out on Wednesday, Jan. 16.

“People really stepped up,” Field said. Contributions came in from near and far, including summer residents who heard about the collection. Mike Loewe has made two trips to the Boothbay Harbor Coast Guard station with Hannaford gift cards and gas cards. Contributions have also included cash and checks.

Field pointed out the Boothbay Harbor Coast Guard station has 24 personnel; 10 are married or have families and don’t live on the peninsula, so the gas cards are much appreciated.

“We’ll keep collecting them as long as the shutdown continues,” she said. To donate through the Community Center, drop off a donation at the Center Mondays through Fridays between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. To be accepted by the Coast Guard, checks must be made out to: Chief Petty Officers Association and the words “Boothbay Harbor Coast Guard station” should be written in the memo area of the check.

To make a contribution by mail, send it to the Community Center at P. O. Box 335, Boothbay Harbor, ME 04538.

For more information, contact the Center at 633-9876.