SANDPOINT — A beloved — and tasty — Toys for Tots fundraiser is returning thanks to a partnership between the Sandpoint Lions and Sandpoint Elks.

The dinner will be held Saturday, Nov. 15, at the Sandpoint Elks Lodge, 30196 Highway 200 in Ponderay, from 4 to 8 p.m.

The fundraiser’s return stems from a conversation between Danielle Ruhmshottel, the Elks’ leading knight and board chair, and Lions President Janice Rader. Ruhmshottel wanted to attend the dinner and learned it hadn’t been held for several years.

Ruhmshottel and the Elks immediately offered the lodge — and their assistance — to bring back the fundraiser.

“It was an easy yes for the board,” Ruhmshottel said after pitching the idea to the Elks.

“The Lions Club does so much for the community, so this was a way we could help as well,” she said.

The Elks often borrow the Lions’ bingo machine, and during a discussion about an upcoming bingo game, the subject of the spaghetti dinner came up. Ruhmshottel said she attended the dinner frequently over the years and considered it a favorite seasonal tradition and a fun way to support the Lions and Toys for Tots.

With demand increasing for the program, Ruhmshottel said the Elks wanted to help the Lions make Christmas merry for local youth.

“It’s going to be tougher for people this year,” she said. “It’s going to take a village, but I think we can all make it happen.”

Joining the Elks are Justin Dick of 113 Main, donating all the pasta and sauce; Woods Meat Processing, donating a large amount of meat and discounting the rest; and Litehouse Foods, donating all the salad dressing. Cedar Hills Church also donated a quilt for a raffle to raise additional funds.

The Lions’ annual spaghetti feed was a favorite community event, raising money for the club’s Christmas campaign to ensure all local youth have a merry Christmas. However, the dinner hasn’t been held for several years due to various circumstances.

When the Elks volunteered to host the fundraiser, Ruhmshottel immediately got to work, and Rader said she was thrilled by the offer and support.

“It felt like somebody actually cared,” Rader said. “It was a tradition, and they want to help us keep it alive at a time when all of our traditions are in danger of falling away.”

The Elks’ offer comes at an opportune time, Rader said. Applications for the club’s Toys for Tots program are already ahead of last year, with 15 applications received in the first hour and more than 100 by day’s end. There are now more than 400 applications, and Rader expects the number to top last year’s 900 requests.

“These are struggling families with full-time jobs in our community,” Rader said. “These aren’t people abusing the system. They need help during the holidays and don’t know where to turn. They see a program like this and they’re so grateful to our community for making it available.”

Families include both parents working or single parents working two or three jobs to make ends meet.

“It’s such an amazing tradition, seeing these families who feel at the end of their rope and then look at the bag of toys and get the biggest smiles on their faces,” Rader said.

Many have nowhere else to turn and are grateful to the Lions and the community.

“They just keep saying, ‘Thank you so much. This is going to make my child’s Christmas,’” Rader said. “It breaks your heart to think we live in such a crazy time where people work so hard and still can’t afford Christmas.”

To meet demand, Rader said the club is starting earlier than usual, with donation jars and toy boxes already appearing in local businesses. Last year, the Freedom Riders motorcycle club raised $5,000 with a ride, and this year Serv-A-Burger is hosting a giving tree. Other organizations and community groups are also helping, including the Elks, who are hosting the Lions’ Turkey Bingo fundraiser next week. The bingo event will be held Friday, Nov. 21, from 6 to 8 p.m., and Saturday, Nov. 22, from noon to 4 p.m.

Each year, the Lions team up with local businesses and residents through Toys for Tots to ensure everyone has a merry Christmas.

Funds raised go toward purchasing new toys for area children — or gift cards for older youth — who live in the Lake Pend Oreille School District.

This year’s goal is $75,000 to ensure all area youth receive a present. Donations may be mailed to the Sandpoint Lions Club, Box 414, Sandpoint, ID 83864, or dropped into any coin jar around town. Donations should include a note that it is for Toys for Tots and, if you wish to remain anonymous, please mention that in your note.

Information: Sandpoint Lions Club, 208-263-4118, [email protected], or bit.ly/SandpointLions