In their lodge at the top of a steep hill in Whitefish, the Whitefish Women of the Moose toil away working long volunteer hours for their communities. 

How long? The women donated 15,596 hours last year and are well beyond 12,000 this year, earning the group a service award from the Montana head chapter of the Women of the Moose.

“We never have any time for ourselves,” joked Pat Gilbertson, one of the group’s leaders. “Moose members all over Whitefish and Columbia Falls are volunteering all the time in our communities.”

The Whitefish Moose Lodge takes in all Moose members in the north end of the valley, and also has some members in Kalispell.

Some of its most frequent volunteer and fundraising events, such as the “Hamburger Nite” every Monday, are simply to pay the lodge’s bills.

Others go toward scholarships for the local high schools.

Anna Sayre, a Woman of the Moose member who helps manage the scholarships, said the scholarships have become an educational tradition in the area.

“It started in the mid-1980s,” she said. “And every year we have one or two  scholarships for graduating seniors at Whitefish and Columbia Falls. It is open to any student and is based on financial and scholastic need.”

Last year, the Whitefish Lodge donated two $500 scholarships to local students along with its Emily Leighty Memorial Scholarship, meant for students in Whitefish and Columbia Falls.

(The Whitefish Lodge encompasses two groups — The Loyal Order of the Moose is Lodge No. 642, the Whitefish Women of the Moose are No. 597.) 

Among other volunteer opportunities, the Lodge’s Calamity Singers are an a cappella singing group that tours local nursing homes.

Carolyn Pfrimmer and Carol Lietz are two of the organizers of the Calamity Singers. They say the 13 nursing homes on the tour get excited for the singers’ monthly visits.

“They [the residents] sing along with us,” Pfrimmer said. 

“They sometimes stand up beside us and sing,” Lietz said. “I think we all benefit from the experience.”

The Calamity Singers were started by Women of the Moose member Bev Managhan, who headed the group until sickness prevented it. The group has grown to 20 singers, including six men.

“We’ve got different types of people who want to sing,” Gilbertson said. “Every month we change outfits and the songs we sing. We work as a team.”

When they aren’t singing to seniors, the Moose orders help other senior citizens by hosting “over-60 parties” once or twice a year. 

“It’s a community affair,” Nancy Bogart, the organizer of the functions, said. “You don’t have to be a member of the Moose, it is just to have fun with the older people.”

Every October (sometimes it slips into September) since 1981 the Moose lodge has put on a senior party, further cementing the Moose organization’s place in the local community, particularly among the senior citizens.

“We play bingo, give out prizes and have snacks for the people,” Bogart said. “It is all donated, and normally we have 90 to 100 people show up.”

Membership for Women of the Moose has dwindled in recent years, dropping from more than 600 members a few decades ago to the approximately 260 that now belong to the Whitefish Lodge. Kalispell has a Moose lodge of its own.

The International Order of the Moose has a few key charities, and the Whitefish lodge is no exception in donating to them. They include an orphanage in Mooseheart, Ill., and a retirement community in Orange Park called Moosehaven where Moose members can retire after a certain period of membership.

While these national causes are always thought about, even in the warm lodge on that hill in Whitefish, many local causes are the real bread and butter.

Gilbertson said some volunteers spend time with the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), Toys for Tots and the local Shepherd’s Hand Clinic.

But what the Moose might be best known for is its 50-year tradition of “Breakfast with Santa,” when kids can come and talk to Kris Kringle while enjoying a hot breakfast. This year, the public can come Dec. 14 to talk to the head honcho of Christmas.

“He is Santa,” Gilbertson said of the helper the lodge gets to don the red suit. “He’s even got the adults convinced.”

To join the Moose Lodge or to find out more about an upcoming choir event at Whitefish High School on Dec. 10, call Gilbertson at 862-3943.

Reporter Ryan Murray may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at rmurray@dailyinterlake.com.