Eagles hold the Community Christmas Dinner

The Community Christmas Dinner is coming back again to Havre Tuesday, a more-than 40-year-old tradition that is still serving up meals for the holidays.

“You’ll see somebody who is real well-to-do sitting down eating with somebody that is literally a street person,” Havre Eagles Club Manager Tom Farnham said. “They’re laughing and joking and having a good time while they are having dinner together.”

Farnham said the Community Christmas Dinner will be served at the Eagles Club from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

If people would like to have their dinners delivered, because they are shut-in or don’t have a ride, they can call the North Central Senior Citizens Center at 265-5464. Callers must place their order before 5 p.m. tonight.

“The Community Christmas Dinner is open up to everybody,” Farnham said. “All walks of life, anybody that is hungry and needs a place to go … everyone is more than welcome.

He said they will start putting together meals at 10 a.m. Christmas morning and that this year the meal will be a turkey dinner with mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes, corn, dinner rolls and salad.

Volunteers should show up at 10 a.m. or whenever it fits their schedule, Farnham said.

“If they can’t get away till noon or whenever they can get here that would be great,” he said.

“Any of those volunteers that would like to join in on the festivities just need to show up and I’ll put them to work,” Farnham said.

He added that the community dinner always has returning volunteers from Havre, Big Sandy and the Chinook area.

Farnham said deliveries will start going out at 11 a.m. The drivers this year will be from the Havre Jaycees, the Montana Hammer Motorcycle Club and other volunteers.

He said the community dinner has been at the Eagles Club for more than 40 years, starting with Bob Sivertsen, who ran the dinner for 25 years before passing it over to Jerry Bergren and his family, who ran the dinner for 10 years, then turned it over to the Eagles Club.

Farnham said the dinner is free, adding that a donations are accepted, with the money going directly back to support next year’s community dinner.

A variety of different businesses and people in the community donate to the Community Christmas Dinner, he added.

“It’s a great day,” Farnham said. “You meet a lot of friendly people and everybody from all walks of life sit down and enjoy a good meal.”

“Show up with a smile and have a good time,” he added.