At the Franklin Center's bustling community cafeteria, the mostly retired volunteers smile and joke with lunchtime patrons -- who all seem to know each other -- as they serve generous portions of simple, home-cooked food like macaroni and cheese or tuna casserole. Each day the menu changes, and the options are limited, but that's part of the charm. (Ask a server what's in a particular item and you're apt to get a friendly shrug and a "Why, I don't know, dear.") The lunches are unbelievably cheap -- less than $5. That's because the purpose of the center, which was created from a refurbished school building, isn't to make money but to bring people together. Book sales are held here from time to time, and the building also hosts a daycare center and a co-op grocery store where people meet to pick up organic produce they've ordered from local farmers. It's really a hub for the Argentine neighborhood.
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