Eagles looking for volunteers for Community Christmas Dinner

Editor’s note: Since this story was published, issues have arisen preventing the North Central Senior Center from taking meal delivery calls. People are asked to call the Hill County Commission office at 400-2327 by 3 p.m. Thursday to request a meal delivery.

The Eagles Club is still looking for volunteers for the Community Christmas dinner, Eagles Club Manager Tom Farnham said.

The event is continuing on despite the COVID-19 pandemic but with some changes for social distancing with a walk-through event and no in-club dining.

Deliveries will still be made Christmas day, and volunteers are needed for that effort as well as for helping in the club Christmas Eve.

Volunteers will be delivering plates to Havre residents alongside the Havre Jaycees and the Montana Hammers Motorcycle Club. Deliveries and dinner will start at 11 a.m. and go until around 1 p.m. 

Volunteers will be assigned an area to deliver the meals to. When people are done with the deliveries, they are welcome to get a dinner for themselves.

Volunteers and patrons will be required to wear masks and social distance while getting meals.

People who want to volunteer can call 265-9551.

Donations will be accepted at the dinner this year.

“A lot of times the businesses in Havre will donate, it’s not put on by the Eagles, it’s a community Christmas dinner from donations,” Farnham said.

The dinner has been put on for about 40 years, started by Bob Sivertsen and continued by the Bergren family and now Farnham supervises. 

The dinner will look different this year than it has in previous years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We won’t get to see the smiling faces of all the people like we have in the past because they will enter the Eagles from the west side by the Old Station Brewery. They will come in, be greeted, pick up the dinners they want and go out the north door on First Street,” said Farnham. “We did consider not to do it just like the community Thanksgiving dinner, but this is the year we felt that people really needed it … because everybody is down on their luck.”

People that are not able to come into the Eagles to get their Christmas dinner plates can call the Hill County Commission office at 400-2327 before 3 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 24 to ask for a delivery. 

Farnham said in the past there have been around 360 plates delivered to Havre patrons for the community Christmas dinner. 

“The first year I ever did the dinner, I see a guy that goes down the alley every day … and he’s sitting at the Christmas dinner with a millionaire, and they’re laughing and joking. I remember thinking, this would only happen on Christmas day. It was so cool.”