The Selectmen get by with a little help from their friends.

That was the message of the "Volunteer Appreciation Day" held by the Wareham Selectmen for various town volunteers -- many of them members of town committees -- at Besse Park on Tuesday evening, June 19.

"We do it because we have all the volunteers that invest their time. They take time away from their families and their lives to serve in these committees," said Selectman Cara Winslow. "All these committees are important. … The least we can do is feed them once a year."

Feed them they did. Volunteers lined up along a table stacked with hamburgers, linguiça, hot dogs, potato salad and clam chowder. There was also a crowd around the dessert table, which was stacked with at least four different flavors of brownies made by active town volunteer Sandy Slavin and about 120 cupcakes made by Winslow.

The volunteers appreciated the thank-you.

"I really like it. I think it's a great time," said Bike Path Committee member and Wareham Recycling Center volunteer Damon Howard.

"And it's a good setting. What a great spot," said Howard, taking in the view of the Wareham River and the comfortably cool breeze.

Council on Aging member and Wareham Library Board of Trustees Vice Chair Martha Strachan said she liked interacting with fellow volunteers.

"It's nice for volunteers to see other volunteers," she said. "It's an opportunity to connect."

The volunteer appreciation dinner has been a Wareham tradition for as long as Selectman Alan Slavin could remember, said Slavin, but it had not been held for the past couple of years.

This was also the first year the dinner was held in the summer. Previously, the dinner had generally been held in the winter, Slavin said.

Town employees, such as Interim Town Administrator John Foster, Harbormaster Garry Buckminster, and Financial Analyst Derek Sullivan also volunteered their time to help during the evening.