GREAT FALLS — For more than three decades, the Danny Berg Memorial Dinner has operated around a simple promise: if someone doesn’t want to spend Christmas alone, there is a place for them at the table.
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Now, after changes among longtime organizers made the tradition more difficult to sustain in recent years, another generation is working to carry it forward.
Britta Lee, who is helping organize the dinner, said that mission dates back to its founder, Danny Berg.
“It was founded with a simple mission that no one should have to spend Christmas alone if they don't want to,” Lee said.
Organizers say the dinner has served more than 600 meals in a single year, but maintaining an event of that size has not always been easy.
Col. Jason Green, wing commander with the Montana National Guard, said changes among longtime supporters created uncertainty over who would organize the dinner.
“There was a longtime supporter kind of who was stepping to the side,” Green said.
The Montana National Guard has remained involved with the tradition and has historically cooked more than 50 turkeys for the dinner each year.
Christopher Mills, operations senior enlisted advisor, said participation gives Guard members another way to serve the Great Falls community.
“It's a great way for us to give back to the community,” Mills said.
For Lee, however, continuing the dinner is also personal.
“My dad, Wade Gehl, was a great friend of Danny Berg’s,” Lee said.
Gehl worked alongside Berg until 2008 and continued supporting the Christmas tradition until his death in 2020.
“It’s a testament to two great men of our community,” Lee said.
A new chapter
This Christmas, the dinner is moving to the Elks Lodge and will be served from noon to 3 p.m.
Organizers also plan to offer meal pickup and delivery by reservation.
At the same time, they are seeking volunteers and financial donations as they rebuild the network needed to sustain the dinner.
“We just really want to make sure that it continues on for years to come,” Green said.
For Lee, keeping the tradition alive ultimately comes back to the same invitation that started it more than 30 years ago.
“If you're nervous about coming to the dinner, don't be, because there's a place for you at the table,” Lee said.
The people behind the dinner have changed over more than three decades, but the invitation hasn't.
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