It takes roughly 200 volunteers, 100 turkeys, 100 hams, one ton of potatoes, 300 pounds of yams and 800 pounds of green beans to feed the army of people who attended the annual “Christmas at Our House” dinner.

This is the 22nd year the Montana National Guard 495th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion has hosted the dinner. Preparations took about three months as soldiers expected thousands of people, Lt. Col. Rick Kostecki of the 495th said.

“Once we get everything going, it’s full throttle for a week prior to the dinner,” Kostecki said. “The day before we have people cooking all night.”

The dinner was held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. By 1 p.m., the dining hall at Kalispell Armed Forces Reserve Center was filled with community members and soldiers, as well as children visiting with Santa Claus and his elves.

Kostecki said the armory is probably the last one that continues hosting a holiday meal of this magnitude.

“This is just a great opportunity for us to say thanks to the community for all their support,” Kostecki said. “You know, the National Guard, they’re our citizen-soldiers and this is just our way of saying thanks,” Kostecki said.

The dinner also draws veterans in addition to community members.

Ray Bergstrom of Whitefish, a soldier himself, thanked another soldier before leaving the dining hall.

Bergstrom served in the Navy during World War II. He was deployed for two and a half years in the South Pacific on the U.S.S. Haggard.

“I went in February 1943 and got out in March of 1946,” Bergstrom said. “The ship got 10 battle stars. We sank two submarines, one by ramming it, and we got hit with a suicide plane — killed 13 on board the ship — you never forget that.”

It was the first time he had been to the Christmas at Our House dinner. Bergstrom said he enjoyed the good food and company.

KOSTECKI AND WALSH hope to call upon other military units in the state to hold the dinner and continue the tradition.

“This is not only the Montana National Guard, but the entire community has contributed to this meal with donations of food and time,” Walsh said.

Although the dinner is primarily a holiday celebration, it is also a time to remember those who served in the military. As people entered the dining hall they passed a round table with a place setting for one with a prisoner-of-war/missing-in-action chair cover draped over a single chair.

 “It’s a tradition we do whenever we have formal dinners or military functions in memory of our missing in action and prisoners of war throughout history,” Kostecki said.

The dinner is also a time for the community to interact with soldiers, and Walsh walked between the long rows of tables refilling coffee, shaking hands and talking with attendees.

Many of the non-military volunteers were recruited through businesses they worked for or organizations they were members of.

In one of the food lines, Patti Cronquist of Columbia Falls, smiled as she served green bean casserole. This is the third year she has volunteered at the dinner.

“My daughter, Michonne, is in the National Guard, and I’m also here through the Montana Association of Realtors,” Cronquist said.

After serving for a couple of hours she was heartened by the people who were thankful for the meal.

“You get to meet a lot of people,” Cronquist said.

The Christmas at Our House dinner may be put on hold next year as the 495th, currently about 70 soldiers, is scheduled for a one-year deployment to Afghanistan in 10 months.

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or hmatheson@hotmail.com