Sit-down meals were held at six locations in the western Upper Peninsula.

Next to Calumet, Hancock is the largest sitdown site in the area, said Emily Fiala, lead volunteer at the Hancock site. Volunteers prepared enough food for 50 sit down meals for the event held at the Church of the Resurrection.

“We have a lot of our old-timers who’ve been with us for years, and we feel like a family,” Fiala told the crowd. “So when new people come, you’re just joining the family.”

During the pandemic, Little Brothers had gone to meal delivery only. Some elders have preferred to continue getting their meals at home, leading to smaller crowds than before, Fiala said. In Baraga, there had been 17 sitdown meals, versus 80 deliveries.

Garrett Neese/Daily Mining Gazette Bill White plays accordion at Sunday’s Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly Easter dinner in Hancock.

“Getting some of those people to come that are able to come back is going to be the big challenge,” Fiala said. “We really want them to come and socialize, that’s the whole thing.”

Even with a smaller crowd, Hancock’s meal drew more than 40 people, some coming from as far away as Bumbletown, Redridge and Chassell.

And the volunteers put in the effort to make it a memorable event.

“It’s important to do it right — no paper plates, we have flowers, we try to make a nice meal,” Fiala told the crowd. “We want you to enjoy time with your friends.”

Diners were treated to a meal with ham, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and more, followed by their choice of their dessert.

Garrett Neese/Daily Mining Gazette Diners enjoy a meal at the Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly Easter dinner in Hancock Sunday.

After Little Brothers volunteers finished serving meals, they picked up a plate for themselves to eat with elders. Betty Aebli sat down with John Swift and John Szczucki.

The dinner provides companionship both for the elders and the volunteers.

“My family lives a long ways away, so I do this to be with people,” Aebli said.

They liked the food, the company, and the music, provided by Bill White on accordion.

“It’s the ability to get together with people you don’t see every day and chat,” Swift said. “Turns out John and I both spent a few years floating around the ocean. So we’ve got some pretty good war stories.”

Garrett Neese/DMG John Szczucki and John Swift talk with Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly volunteer Betty Aebli at the Easter dinner at Church of the Resurrection in Hancock Sunday.

Michigan Technological University fraternity Tau Kappa Epsilon also helped out with the meal, whether signing people in or serving food.

“It’s just a good way to give back to the community and give back to the surrounding organizations in the area,” said TKE member Aidan DeVos.

Fraternity brothers said they enjoyed contributing to the dinner.

“It just feels nice to serve food to people,” said TKE member Ryan Dych. “There’s nice music and everyone’s having a good time.”

To conclude the day, lead volunteers Emily Fiala and Frank Fiala led the crowd in a toast.

At the end of the meal, David Saunders walked up to Fiala and gave a cash donation. It was his second Little Brothers dinner, following the one at Thanksgiving.

“These are a lifesaver,” he said. “My wife passed away, so these things are a great benefit to me.”