The annual holiday dinner sponsored by the McDonald County High School Student Council will be 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday at the high school cafeteria. The public is invited.

The menu includes roasted chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy, dinner roll and butter, cranberry sauce, tea, coffee and cake.

Casey Burkhart-Henson, the faculty adviser for the student council, said the annual tradition was started by Trish Hanks, the previous faculty adviser for the student council. Burkhart-Henson has been overseeing the event for the past four or five years, she said.

"(Hanks) started it as a way to give back to the community. One of our pillars in student council is community service. We realize not everyone has the blessings that are afforded to my students. They realize, especially with this project, that they are very blessed. We have several shut-ins in the county, and we take a meal to them. We usually do about 200 of them," she said.

Burkhart-Henson is overseeing the dinner with the help of the student council executive board president, Bekah Hitt.

She said, "My kids get really excited about doing this because it kicks off their holidays, and we have people from all walks of life that attend this dinner. The kids are the ones talking to the people -- even kids not on student council volunteer for the dinner. Somehow, it always works out and it's amazing."

This year the boys' basketball team will participate in the dinner as well, Burkhart-Henson said.

"The coach wants them to be a part of the community. They will come and work. We're very excited. The community members come and see them. It's this give and take that's very positive," she said.

She continued, "We are going to continue selling raffle tickets for Keith Testerman. We're raffling off a hog that will be butchered." Tickets are $1 each or six for $5. The drawing will be on Dec. 14, and entrants do not have to be present to win. Keith Testerman used to be a custodian at the schools and is now undergoing medical treatments for cancer.

"This has been our theme this year, our mantra, 'Everybody's a Mustang.' We're all just a big family down here in one way or another," Burkhart-Henson said.

She added, "It's a highly stressful couple weeks or so, but the stress has gotten better. It's really fun. People are grateful. I get cards from people who want to let my kids know they enjoyed the dinner. I don't want to get the credit. I want my kids to get the credit. It gives me a chance to see my kids truly be leaders."