HOLLANDALE — It’s a feast and a fundraiser, and it’s coming to this small town.

Hollandale Christian School will host its annual fall dinner from 4 to 7 p.m. this Friday. Students, their family and friends, community members and school staff all gather for a feast and to raise funds for the private school’s general fund.

The work has already started on the homemade foods organizers will serve on Friday. Three women on the dessert committee, Theresa Blizzard, Lauri Olson and Angie Pazurek, were at the school making brownies and pumpkin bars on Tuesday.

“This time we’re making 42 batches of desserts,” Blizzard said.

New this year are the pumpkin bars, which they plan to cover with cream cheese frosting. Another dessert is their famous almond bars, which the women said were a hit last year.

“Everyone wanted that recipe,” Olson said.

The three women were enjoying making large batches of bars in the school’s kitchen. Pazurek said she likes being able to chat with other parents while preparing for the event.

“Most of the events are for the kids,” Pazurek said. “This is an event where all the grownups are here and you can get to know other parents.”

Most of the parents have helped for multiple years now. Olson said this is the 13th dinner she has helped with, and she said somehow it goes more smoothly each year.

“It’s a well-oiled machine,” Olson said.

Volunteers prepare enough food for about 1,000 people. It all depends on the weather to know how many people will show up. Last year the event served about 800 people, and the event raised almost $5,000.

Donations are accepted from attendees, and a take-out option is growing in popularity. Organizers said they will pack up a meal, or a few meals, for those who can’t make it to the event.

The menu will include ham, mashed potatoes, stuffing, carrots, baked apples, Chinese salad and bars for dessert. The public is invited.

This will be the 31st year for the dinner, which has been feeding patrons and benefiting students since it began in 1982. The fundraiser often collects anywhere from $7,000 to $8,000. Funds raised go to the school’s general fund and helps fulfill classroom needs.

The event is one of the main fundraisers the school holds. Its largest fundraiser is an auction held each spring. The Christian school educates students in kindergarten through eighth grade.