BETHEL, Vt. (WCAX) – It’s lunchtime in Bethel and Cathy Day is on duty at the Bethel Village Sandwich Shop.
Day and owner David Sambor are in sync, serving up comfort food on a rainy day. The two have worked together for years — even through the pandemic. There was no indoor dining then — just phone orders. The two would bring the meals to the awaiting customers.
“I’d say, ‘What kind of car are you driving?’ That’s when I found out how many Subarus and black pickups are here. ‘Cause you would go out, ‘Ok, who are you?’” Day recalled.
In town, though, everyone seems to know her. “I jokingly call her ‘Mommy T’ — Mother Theresa — ‘cause she can’t say no,” Sambor said.
Reporter Joe Carroll: Mother Theresa?
Cathy Day: Yeah, no. Not even close, not even close.
Tell that to the parishioners at Saint Anthony’s Catholic Church in town. She started a soup kitchen there, a monthly meal for those in need. But it’s a Christmas feast where Day sways the souls to help out. “When she pulled me back in… But I said, ‘Don’t make me go upstairs,’” Sambor
“My husband and I have a way of pulling people in,” Day said.
With the lunch crowd gone, it’s time for one of Day’s other jobs. She’s been the town librarian for 30 years. On this day, a group of friends has come together for children with osteosarcoma or bone cancer. It’s a monthly meetup, writing cards to bring a little joy to their young lives.
“It’s a pretty serious cancer, so these children are in the hospital, oftentimes for up to a year,” said Madeleine Daniel, Day’s friend.
Cathy Day: Madeleine is another one who I’ve pulled into the Christmas dinner.
Reporter Joe Carroll: Oh, you’ll have the town there!
Day, now an empty-nester, will be 74 in January. When her kids moved away, Daniel says she had to find something to keep her busy. “I think Cathy always liked her doing things for people and her family, and now the town has become her extended family, that’s what I think.
“That’s true, yeah,” Day agreed.
“If somebody needs something, she’s right there for them,” Sambor said.
A Super Senior who’s in the Christmas spirit all year long. “I hope I make people happy,” Day said. “I enjoy life.”