GREAT FALLS — Costumes, candy and free food brought families and residents together at Eagles Manor on Saturday, Oct. 31, for a Halloween celebration that served a purpose beyond the festivities.
The free community event featured trick-or-treating, games and a meal prepared by Spices N' Spurs owner Cassie Campbell and her team. What started as a small celebration quickly grew into a larger gathering than organizers expected.
WATCH Madison Collier report from Eagles Manor:
Campbell said she wanted to give Eagles Manor residents a chance to connect with the community, especially those who have difficulty getting out as the weather gets colder.
"So I figured bring the community to them," Campbell said.
For resident John Bronec, who has lived at Eagles Manor for about seven years, the afternoon offered a chance to interact with families and the variety of costumes.
"I had fun passing out candy, trying to guess what they are. Well, I really had a lot of fun with that," Bronec said.
From dinosaurs and witches to characters from popular movies and video games, no shortage of disguises made their way through the first floor of the building.
Volunteers Tiffany Snyder and Zach Runstrom said the turnout exceeded their own expectations. The duo even made additional trips to the store to keep up with the demand for candy.
"We didn't expect as many people as we got, and it's been a great turnout," Snyder said. "We're very impressed with the community and with the staff and the residents here at the Eagles Manor."
The community also made the celebration possible through support from Let's Bounce Inflatables, which donated the inflatables used for the event.
Campbell said preparations for the community lunch began days before the celebration, with baking starting the week prior. By Saturday, she and her team had prepared food for the crowd, serving more than 250 plates before the end of the event.
Campbell's work at Eagles Manor began as an effort to help residents maintain access to meals following changes to food services at the building.
The program has since grown, and Campbell is now working to expand those efforts beyond Eagles Manor to help others in the region facing food insecurity.
"Anybody that is facing food insecurity can reach out to me and I will try to do my best to help them with their need," Campbell said.
She explained that some of the people she serves are older adults who have lost loved ones, can no longer drive or are struggling with reduced incomes and rising costs.
Donations collected during Saturday's celebration will help support those meals and the program's continued expansion.
For volunteer Kelli Wiseman, seeing families and residents come together was especially meaningful.
"I think that they know that they're not forgotten," Wiseman said.
Those volunteering initially worried about whether anyone would attend, but those concerns quickly faded as a line formed outside before the doors even opened. The response has already inspired Campbell to consider bringing the celebration back next year, potentially with a larger space to accommodate more people.
For her, the turnout was another reminder of how much community support has helped her efforts grow.
"When I first started, this whole idea was just to feed a few people. And now people want to give. And they want to continue to give and continue to help," Campbell said.
