To the Editor:

Re “Buying Underwear, Along With the Whole Store” (Nov. 13), which described how residents of Saranac Lake, N.Y., bought and opened their own department store.

Indeed, this town is an unusual place that believes that volunteers are what makes a community thrive.

On the same day that the Community Store opened, the Friends of Mount Pisgah, a volunteer group of long standing, had a ribbon-cutting for its new ski lift at our local ski hill, where children can learn and improve their skills.

The next day, one of the downtown merchants moved to a new location. At 8 a.m. on a Sunday, more than 180 volunteers formed a human chain to pass the vendor’s merchandise to his new store.

In combination with good schools and involved parents, Saranac Lake is a fine place to visit but a better place to live.

Jon Vinograd

Saranac Lake, N.Y., Nov. 13

Article source: http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=32fae048d72d56f65ece5a40e4c5cb62