Photo By Senior Master Sgt. Eric Peterson | 219th Red Horse Squadron Senior Master Sgt. Bill Gamradt, Traci Hronek and 120th...... read more read more
GREAT FALLS, Mont. - Members of the Montana Air National Guard arrived early to the 120th Airlift Wing dining facility beginning at 4:30 a.m. Christmas Eve to warm ovens and prepare turkeys for cooking.
The Guardsmen volunteered to cook the 22nd annual Danny Berg Memorial Christmas Dinner that is served to community residents at the Great Falls Senior Citizen’s Center.
The event is named for retired Master Sgt. Danny Berg, a former Guardsman and community leader who passed away from cancer in 2008.
“It all started when he [Berg] decided no one should be alone at Christmas,” said Wade Gehl, who serves as the chairman of the Danny Berg Memorial Christmas Dinner.
Gehl said during the first year of the event Berg had decided to donate his company-provided Christmas turkey to help feed the homeless of Great Falls. When his coworkers heard of his intent they followed suit and donated their turkeys too.
“The event just grew right away. We used to have it at the Heisey [youth center] but that facility just got to be too small for the demand,” said Gehl.
Gehl said the event was later moved to the Great Falls Senior Citizen’s Center to accommodate more people. Berg also contacted the superintendent in charge of the 120th Airlift Wing dining facility seeking volunteers to help prepare the dinner that was now growing in popularity.
This year 39 turkeys, several gallons of gravy and many pounds of turkey dressing were prepared for the community event by the Guardsmen.
“We cook the turkeys, make the gravy and stuffing and deliver it downtown,” said Chief Master Sgt. Marty Leonard, 120th Services Support Squadron Superintendent. “We have the facility and the ovens and the volunteers to get this accomplished.”
This is Gehl’s 20th Danny Berg Memorial Christmas Dinner that he participated in and has served the last seven years for the event as chairman. He appreciates the support that members of the MTANG provide.
“We couldn’t do it without the Guard,” said Gehl. “There’s no way we could serve 400 meals just with the facilities that we could come up with. The Senior Citizen’s Center just does not have the capability that the kitchen up here does-as well as all of your volunteers.”
The MTANG volunteers look forward to providing their time and cooking expertise to support the event that fellow Guardsman Danny Berg created for the community of Great Falls 22 years ago.
“I truly believe this is one of the best things we do for the community,” said Leonard. “There are people out there that might not even get a meal on Christmas, much less a Christmas meal and it’s greatly appreciated downtown.”
The dinner was expected to serve between 400 and 500 people this year at the Senior Citizen’s Center and through home dinner deliveries.
| Date Taken: | 12.24.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 01.05.2015 18:24 |
| Story ID: | 151382 |
| Location: | GREAT FALLS, MT, US |
| Web Views: | 53 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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