The Hollandale Christian School moms are poised to feed a crowd.

The school’s annual fall supper will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday at the school. For a donation, people will be served turkey, stuffing, ham, mashed potatoes, carrots, baked beans, baked apples, cranberry sauce, Chinese salad and desserts.

Last year, more than 900 people came for the event, said Tina Feuerhak, one of the event’s tri-chairwomen along with Karen Posthumus and Amy Munger.

From a core group of organizers, numerous committees, kids in the school’s older grades and even people who don’t have any connection to the school anymore, everybody pitches in to make the event one of the school’s biggest fundraisers.

“We’ve got an extremely supportive community,” said Kristen Oldenkamp, co-chairwoman of the school’s Harmony Helpers parent organization. “It’s become a tradition with a lot of families.”

Posthumus added that a lot of people enjoy not only coming to eat, but working together and the fellowship that provides.

“It’s the one time a year when we’re all here and all families are involved,” Feuerhak added.

Numerous committees have been working and planning to make sure everything is lined up and ready to go. Each school family will pitch in and help by taking a shift to work at the supper or do prep work. They’ve borrowed roasters, coffee pots, tables and chairs from area churches. They’ve lined up food donations. They’ve arranged food storage and transport.

Today is a work day with much of the preparation work getting done, and on Friday morning, committee members will be on hand to prepare the food.

Students in grades six through eight have a key role at the supper. They take desserts to serving lines, pick up trays and help with garbage duty.

“The kids feel so grown up when they help,” Oldenkamp said. “And they get to work with their friends.”

There are approximately 100 volunteer jobs that night alone, not to mention the 60 to 70 volunteers bringing pans of dessert.

The desserts are made by mothers and grandmothers of the students and even people in the Hollandale community who don’t have a family connection to the school anymore.

Feeding nearly 1,000 people calls for 430 pounds of turkey, 100 pounds of ham, 400 pounds of potatoes, 13 gallons of beans, nine bushels of apples, 10 gallons of cranberries, 90 dozen buns, 800 cups of coffee and about 1,000 pieces of dessert, as well as gravy, stuffing carrots and salad.

Many of the food items are donated and come from Mrs. Gerry’s Kitchen, Sampson Dairy, Ventura Foods, Superfresh Produce and Bakery, The Savory Skillet,Arrow Printing, Hoffman Farms and countless individuals.

The key, the organizers said, is to keep good notes. They detail what worked and what didn’t and are passed onto the next group of chairwomen.

Last year’s proceeds from the supper helped to purchase general classroom supplies and new windows at the school. Over the years, the supper has helped to purchase library books, new desks, chairs, music supplies, an updated curriculum and computer supplies.

The annual fall supper began as an organized potluck in 1982, when the school moved into its current building. In 1990, those in charge decided to make it a Thanksgiving meal instead.

Six years ago, organizers consulted with a caterer who offered suggestions about how to more efficiently serve the food, so now there are three lines and hardly any line to wait in. Guests are seated in the gym as well as in the hallway. There is even a special line for getting carryout meals.