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Thanksgiving dinner on the house for veterans, courtesy of "Vetsgiving"

Posted at 5:38 PM, Nov 21, 2020
and last updated 2020-11-23 08:14:18-05

BILLINGS - Veterans can come get the fixings for a warm Thanksgiving meal on Tuesday, November 24Th

Warrior Wishes Montana works to provide veterans in Billings and surrounding areas with assistance and connect them to the right resources.

"Warrior Wishes Montana is going to be giving our annual Vetsgiving Meals to the veterans in our community. This year we're going to be doing 500 meals," Warrior Wishes MT Inc. founder Miguel Gonzalez said.

Vetsgiving is in it's fourth year, and has expanded to provide meals for more locations.

"We're going to be doing Billings, Laurel, Red Lodge, Roundup, and also Hardin," Gonzalez said.

Albertson's in the Heights prepares the meals fresh, and Warrior Wishes distributes them to pickup locations.

"Each meal contains three portions, of turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy. You get dressing. Also, Franz here in the heights has donated the four-pack of Hawaiian dinner rolls, and we also get a six-pack of cupcakes," Gonzalez said.

No prior registration is necessary.

"If you have a military ID, a VA Card, a copy of your DE214, that's all it takes. It doesn't matter when you served, or how you served. If you were involved in a conflict. None of that matters, as long as you've served then you deserve," Gonzalez said.

The event shows gratitude for service, as well as fostering communication and support.

"Montana probably has the second highest population of veterans in this whole country, and also on the same side we have a high rate of suicide," Gonzalez said.

Again, the Vetsgiving giveaway takes place Tuesday, November 24th from 9 a.m. through 3 p.m.

"If we can get the veterans to come together, they will open up to each other and we will open up to each other and that's the, we are supposed to help each other. That's the whole pretense of when we went into the service is you have a battle buddy throughout your military career, you just don't know who they are until they make themselves known," Gonzalez said.

Pickup locations:

Hardin Chevrolet (Hardin)
Picchioni's IGA (Roundup)
Manney's (Billings)
Beartooth Market (Red Lodge)
Reese & Ray's IGA (Laurel)