For those looking for a warm meal or just a bit of company, the Hoot Owl Restuarant in Ponderay will be hosting a free Christmas Eve dinner for anyone who wants to come from 3-6 p.m.

Most years the restaurant gives of sandwiches, said Savannah Mort, the organizer for the soup kitchen and Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. However, this year there will be a lasagna dinner with salad and garlic bread, and Mort has stepped back to allow her friend, Tracy Giles, to take the reins.

Giles, who’s known Mort and volunteered at the soup kitchen for years, said she was looking for a volunteer project for her family. Mort offered to let Giles run the dinner, and she jumped at the opportunity.

The kitchen is planning to serve 400 meals, Mort said, which is the number the kitchen served for Thanksgiving. Usually they plan for around 200 to 250 meals, but there’s been a greater demand this year. In total, the kitchen is planning 15-17 large trays of lasagna, Giles said.

There were also more to-go orders this year for Thanksgiving, she said, so they’re expecting that may continue for the Christmas Eve dinner.

Currently they’re planning for around 15-20 volunteers, Mort said. But, Giles added, there have also been numerous volunteers offering donations and additional help.

“I have a lot of people on standby, so if we need to cook more we can,” Giles said. “We have so many volunteers of people who have said, ‘‘ll bring a salad, I’ll bring a side dish, I’ll bring cookies, I’ll bring dessert.’”

In addition to the hot meal, this year there will also be toys for children and and pantry items for families to take home, Giles said. There has been an ongoing collection at the Hoot Owl, as well as at the Pack River Store in Sandpoint, Salon Luxe in Sandpoint and Davis Grocery and Mercantile in Hope.

“They have a bin in their store,” Giles said. “We just picked up six crates of food from them today.”

Anyone who still wishes to donate can do so at the Pack River Store or Davis Grocery and Mercantile, as Salon Luxe will be closed Christmas Eve. Donations can also be made by contacting Tracy Giles on Facebook.