DAPHNE, Ala. — Homemade spaghetti dinners flanked by bread, salad and cannoli: What’s not to love?

Organizers are expecting a healthy crowd of about 700 to descend upon Christ the King Church in Daphne Sunday for the annual Festa Italiana.

For more than 35 years, Festa Italiana has paid homage to the Italian colonists who populated the Belforest and present-day Daphne areas around 1889, erecting the church and a spawning a close-knit community that still boasts third-generation descendents among its current population.

The Festa, held in conjunction with the Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce’s annual Arts and Crafts Festival, lasts from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. in the church’s gym, and take-outs will be available beginning at 10:30 a.m.

Helen Callaway, granddaughter of Dominic Trione on her father’s side and Frank Manci on her mother’s side, said she and other members of the Ladies Sodality began hosting the event in the early 1970s as a memorial celebration for their forebears.

“One reason I’ve worked so hard on this for so many years is to honor my grandfather and grandmother, and we have seen the rewards of hard work,” Callaway, 87, said.

Proceeds from the $8-per-plate dinner and accompanying raffle serve as the sodality’s sole fundraiser for the year, allowing for the upkeep of the church’s altar and sanctuary as well as philanthropic donations to an array of community programs.

“Because of the festival we’ve always been able to give money to the schools and different organizations, but right now especially it seems like there’s so much need in the community with people out of work, and we feel very blessed to continue our efforts,” Callaway said.

And because the colony is shrinking with every passing year, Callaway said it is very important to her to continue paying homage to the original group who sacrificed so much but have had a lasting impact on the Eastern Shore.

“After three generations it’s kind of hard to keep it alive, but the Eastern Shore and Daphne in particular owe a lot to these families,” she said.

Mary Francis, whose great-grandfather was one of the original colonists, said the funds raised will help the Ladies Sodality supply the needed linens, wine, candles and flowers. Each member of the church, she said, is also asked to purchase a $10 raffle book containing 10 tickets.

First prize is $500; second prize is $300; but third prize is actually the most sought-after item, Francis said, because it is a “huge basket of cheer” put together by Callaway herself and contains an assortment of spirits.

The $8 meal price includes spaghetti, bread, salad and drink, with homemade baked goods and other treats available for purchase. The cost for children ages 4 to 12 is $4, and children 3 and younger are admitted free.