Herald staff
EVERETT — Seniors here are eager for their Christmas dinner to come early.
The annual free Senior Holiday Dinner, cooked by Everett Police Department personnel and their families, will be served, along with a variety show including musical entertainment and singing, and a visit from Santa Sunday at the Everett Senior Center, 3025 Lombard Ave.
Sponsored by the Everett Police Officers Association, the event began about 20 years ago and has become the highlight of many seniors’ holiday plans.
Officers arrive early to begin preparing the day’s feast: ham, mashed potatoes, corn, fruit salad, dinner rolls, cake and ice cream. They serve meals at noon, 1:30 and 3 p.m., feeding between 125 and 200 seniors at each sitting, dinner coordinator Officer Meg DiBucci said Wednesday.
To reserve a seat, seniors must call the center at 425-257-8780.
Seats for the noon dinner are taken already, but space is still available for the other two, particularly the 3 p.m. meal, DiBucci said.
"We’re usually pretty full," she said.
The dinner, which costs about $3,000 each year, is paid for by the association.
"It gives us an opportunity to do something for the seniors," DiBucci said. "We have senior volunteers who do a lot for the police department on a regular basis. It gets the families out there together to do something, and it gives the seniors some good food and entertainment and a day they can enjoy.
"A lot of them come back every year. They say they just love it and wouldn’t miss it. It’s their favorite part of the holidays."
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