By CHRISTINE BOATWRIGHT / Staff Writer

COLUMBIANA – The Novella Club of Columbiana will honor cancer survivors by serving a free meal to survivors and their guests on Oct. 17.

The free dinner meal will be held at the First Baptist Church of Columbiana at 6:30 p.m.

“We’ve done it for over 10 years,” said event chairperson Peggy Wood. “It had been hosting it in conjunction with Relay for Life in the spring, but now we want to honor our cancer survivors all year long, so we’re going to move ours to the fall.”

Wood said between 60 and 70 survivors typically come to the dinner.

“We send out invitations to the ones we know of, but we want everyone to know about it,” she said.

Ky Smith of Camp Jared, a special-needs horse camp in Columbiana, will be the guest speaker for the evening. The Novella Club will sponsor a special-needs child to enjoy horseback riding, fishing and other activities for free at Camp Jared.

The dinner will consist of hamburgers, hotdogs, chicken salad, baked beans, fruit, banana pudding, brownies, cookies, ice cream and beverages. The desserts will be homemade, Wood said.

“The main thing is it is free for the survivor and their guests,” Wood said. “We want them all to come. We never tell anyone no.

“I think it’s a good thing for Columbiana,” she added. “It’s something I’m really happy we do.”

Wood requested attendees call prior to attending the dinner, as the club needs to know how much food to prepare. Call Peggy Wood at 669-9073 for more information. Visit Equinecoofalabama.com for more information about Camp Jared.