Bon Secours Health Center at Harbour View is inviting folks to help start the holiday season with a tree lighting Sunday.

The free event will take place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the health center’s main entrance at 5818 Harbour View Blvd.

Santa will arrive in a Suffolk Fire and Rescue fire truck about 15 minutes into the proceedings, said Barbara Lynch, Bon Secours’ vice president for ambulatory services.

“Once Santa arrives, all the kids flock to Santa,” she said. “They did it last year, and the (fire and rescue) squad has such a good time that we invited them to do it again this year.”

Festive decorations on campus buildings will be switched on sequentially after the tree is lit first, Lynch said.

“It’s an artificial tree that we used last year and put in storage,” she said. “We are going to use that as a focal point for the illumination.”

Guests, who are encouraged to bring a canned food donation for the Salvation Army, can also join in with the Dickens Carolers and visit Santa. Free refreshments and gift bags will be available.

“It’s giving back to our community,” Lynch said. “We are very much a part of the North Suffolk community, so this is our opportunity to give back to all those in the community who have helped us grow and help us continue to grow.”

The tree lighting is one of the health center’s four signature annual community engagement events, Lynch said, the others being free flu shots, the 5K for Colon Cancer and 1-Mile Fun Walk, and Family Safety Day, which informs families about safety issues prior to children returning to school.

Last year’s tree lighting had more than 100 people, Lynch said, adding, “The children had such a great time, we thought we just have to do it again.”