It seems like the community of Hansville, as well as other North End areas, is doing what many neighborhoods across the country are slowly losing sight of — keeping an eye on each other and providing help whenever the need arises.

This is evidenced during any number of community meetings and gatherings, friends and neighbors greet each other like family. There is always someone willing to step forward and take the reigns on whatever much needed project is next in line.

Which is why it is puzzling that no one has yet taken up the soup ladle to help out the Hansville Neighbors Luncheon, a tradition that has been taking place between September and May for the last 15 years. It first started when some of the residents in the area, no longer comfortable driving at night, decided they would rather have monthly community meetings over a nice, hot lunch. It only served to improve the gatherings, as good food and company usually do, and the Hansville Neighbors Luncheon has flourished since. Speakers were added years ago to entertain and inform residents on different topics, and the lunches have been a way for some of the aging citizens to find out about different programs designed to offer help as they get older.

The only problem until now was trying to squeeze as many people as possible into the limited space of the Greater Hansville Community Center, as the lunches are always open to anyone who lives in the Hansville area and became quite popular.

Since the beginning of this summer, the luncheon efforts have jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire as another problem arose.

Organizer Bonnie Isaacs is ready to take a lesser role in the Hansville kitchen, and has been hoping someone will take up the chef’s hat and continue turning out wonderful gatherings.

But no one has come forward.

Many residents prefer a lesser role as well, and no one seems to have the gumption to step up to the job. The Neighbors Luncheon now looks in danger of coming out of the oven charred with no place else to go but in the compost heap out back.

Several Hansville residents have lamented the possible loss of this chance to get together once a month would indeed be a tragedy on par with throwing out a well-earned five-star gourmet meal and picking up a Big Mac instead. In a community where everyone helps and no one lets something like this slide by, why is it the Hansville Neighbors Luncheon seems to be moving towards the garbage disposal?