Havre Community Thanksgiving Dinner looking for volunteers

The preparations for the Havre Community Thanksgiving Dinner are underway and organizers are looking for volunteers.

The dinner is set for 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the St. Jude Thaddeus Parish Center and will include a meal of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, buns, corn, pumpkin pie and all the associated relish options.

People who can't go to the dinner but would like a meal delivered can call the North Central Montana Senior Citizens Center to make a reservation, at 406-265-5464 by 2 p.m. Nov. 22.

Dinner Chair Debbie Rhines said calls are starting to trickle in from volunteers, mostly from regulars, but it takes more than a hundred people to make everything so they are happy to hear from anyone interested.

Last year, Rhines said, they had a lower turnout than usual for the meals, but had a huge team of volunteers that made everything go very smoothly, so they are looking to get as much participation as possible and bring as many people together as possible.

"The spirit of the dinner is to bring our community together as one big extended family," she said.

They are looking for volunteers to handle food preparation, food service, dishwashing, setting up the dining room, serving and busing, as well as delivery drivers and food assembly line assistants.

Volunteer hours are Wednesday, Nov. 22, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 to 7 p.m. as well as Thanksgiving Day 8:30 a.m. 4 p.m.. Anyone interested can call Rhines at 406-945-2833, and leave a message about the times they can work.

Delivery drivers can contact Gus Sharp at 406-265-1610.

Rhines said they are planning to create at least 700 meals this year, and that wouldn't be possible without a lot of people, as well as their partnership with Gary & Leo's Fresh Foods.

She said they make the turkey, buns and pies, which makes it easy to create so many meals in a short time, and it's been wonderful to work with them all these years.

"It's a fantastic partnership and a wonderful relationship," she said.

The free dinner, funded completely by an anonymous donor, has been held in town for decades, with only one cancellation in its history - due to COVID-19 in 2020 - and at its recent peak served over 800 meals.

Any food left over will go the the Feed My Sheep Soup Kitchen.