GREAT FALLS – Dozens of volunteers crowded the kitchens of the Montana Air National Guard in Great Falls on Christmas Eve.
They were preparing food for the 26th Danny Berg Memorial Dinner, which has become a staple of Christmas Day in the Great Falls community.
Volunteers started their work around 4 a.m. Christmas Eve to prepare 60 turkeys and all the trimmings.
“We have a delivery team, stuffing team, gravy team, cooking team, all kinds of different teams out there,” said Col. Buel Dickson, 120th Airlift Wing Commander.
The teams are not just coworkers, they are families volunteering together.
“Everybody seems to bring their family. I brought my son Jared up today to help which is good,” said Dickson. “People bring their wives and their husbands up, it’s really nice to have the whole family community atmosphere up here.”
The food will be served at the annual dinner from noon to 3 p.m. Christmas Day at the Great Falls Senior Center.
The holiday meal is named for Retired Master Sgt. Danny Berg, a former member of the 120th Airlift Wing, who established the event for local people who may not have family of friends to spend the holiday with.
Berg passed away while battling cancer in 2008.
Reporting by Joe Huisinga for MTN News
