Montana State student prepares Christmas cheer for the less fortunate

Bozeman, Montana – It’s the time of year to give and share. Since not everyone can eat a home-cooked meal, one student at Montana State University thinks that sharing food is the best way to spread holiday goodwill.

“It’s become such a fun tradition being able to spread that Christmas joy,” said Ashlin Ivester.

Ivester, an MSU freshman, has a deep love for the holidays.

“It’s a really big deal for my family to have a super yummy Christmas dinner,” said Ivester. “Being able to connect over a meal is something I always look forward to.”

She founded Holiday Helper to ensure that Gallatin County residents enjoy a delicious Christmas.

“Holiday Helper is a program I started during my junior year of high school,” said Ivester. “Giving community members and people in need a holiday meal for Christmas.”

Ivester’s relatives and friends are preparing food in the kitchen.

“We cook for 3 nights,” said Ivester.

Then, everything is packed and ready for delivery on the 24th.

The Ivesters want to cook 300 meals, but they have only cooked 227 thus far.

“So, they’re still rolling in,” said Ivester. “We want them to be in by the 23rd.”

Ivester asserts that Holiday Helper would not be the success it is today without the community’s support. Her objective when she started her GoFundMe campaign was to raise $1,500 so she could buy groceries. They’ve currently hit $1,900.

Ivester and her staff can make Christmastime more enjoyable for many people in Gallatin County thanks to these kinds of donations.

“We make food that we would eat; it’s my Grandma’s dressing,” said Ivester. “It’s all really good food and we always hear that it made their Christmas better, it brought their family together, and we’ve had a few people cry and give us hugs.”