Alna’s Anne Simpson, in overalls, smiled next to the community garden Saturday as she recalled a surprise in the morning full of shovels, doughnuts, cider, mulch and baseball caps. Hearing from people who enjoyed the new, free flower bunches in the help yourself cooler this season made her happy, she said near the close of the recreation committee’s cleanup day.

“I just think it’s important for people to have food, but also beautiful things.”

The garden at the 2019 town office off Route 218 is important to the town food pantry and has been helping bring people together, volunteer Willard Morgan observed as he shoveled under a gray sky. His family helped all season.

Simpson estimated about 20 people turned out Saturday to help with the community garden and other gardens at the town office. Everyone interviewed wanted to give credit to others for their help this season. Simpson, who took over for First Selectman Melissa Spinney in running the community garden his year, credited Spinney, Tom Albee, Maria Jenness, Stephanie Cheney and Bambi Jones for helping till or tend the community garden or donate seeds to it.

Participants Saturday socially distanced while working; before having the cider and doughnuts, they used hand sanitizer and donned their face masks, Simpson said.