Behind the teal doors of the Jacumba Hot Springs community center, Tanya Wilkins and her crew of volunteers are hard at work crafting a home cooked meal.

The center serves as a sort of public square for the backcountry town home to about 600 people.

“It’s been awesome for all of us just to have a place to get together to visit,” said Wilkins, who’s run the center’s meal service since 2020.

Earlier that morning, Wilkins stood in the vacant field next to the center. She spoke of the spiritual connection she has to her home — its open spaces, rugged beauty and Native American history.

“This is just a really sacred space up here,” Wilkins said. “It’s hard to explain it to anybody. It’s very soothing.”

However, change is coming to Jacumba that could soon make it look and feel a lot differe

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