A Simple Thank You

Montana Veterans Meat Locker

Billings, Montana

Written by Cyd Hoefle

Photography by Stu Hoefle and Contributed by Montana Veterans Meat Locker

Fall Issue - 2026

When the door of the cargo trailer opened, the line of waiting Veterans moved quickly. Filled with several thousand pounds of frozen meat, the trailer emptied rapidly as each person gratefully accepted a canvas bag filled with 15 pounds of frozen meat.  

“This is such a fantastic thing,” Roberta Vender, wife of a Vietnam Veteran, said. “The amount of people that have been helped by Chris and Kristin is unbelievable.” 

The Montana Veterans Meat Locker (MVML) is an all-volunteer, Billings-based, non-profit organization that distributes thousands of pounds of professionally processed meat to Veterans and their families across the state, each month, for free. Founded by Chris and Kristin Grudzinski, the organization’s sole purpose is to thank Veterans for their service by providing them with quality meat. 

“We’re incredibly grateful for all of the men and women that have served in the military,” Chris said. “This is just our way of thanking them.”  

For Roberta’s husband, Navy Veteran Carl Vender, it’s more than just a bag of meat. Carl served in the Vietnam War and, like most of the American soldiers serving during that time, he did not come home to a receptive nation.  

“I didn’t talk about what I experienced,” Carl said. “But through Montana Veterans’ Meat Locker, I’ve met other Veterans and we’ve visited about our years of service.” 

What started years ago with an extra freezer full of meat in Grudzinski’s garage has grown into a shop with two full-size, walk-in freezes, several chest freezers, and a portable freezer trailer for monthly distribution of frozen meat around the state.  

In the beginning, Chris reached out to ranchers willing to donate cull cows, as well as hunters able to donate wild game. While those contributions still make up most donations, the organization also receives additional support from individuals and local businesses that purchase livestock at county fairs statewide. The Montana Veterans Meat Locker (MVML) covers all processing fees and distributes the meat during various giveaway events.

Matt Beddes, a rancher from Shepherd, consistently donates cull cows or wild game to the MVML and regularly volunteers his time at events throughout the year.  

“Chris and Kristin are so giving,” Matt said. “100% of the donations go directly to the Veterans and I appreciate that. For the last five years, we’ve also bought 4-H animals at the local fair and donated them back to the Meat Locker.”  

“There’s a lot of Veterans out there that don’t qualify for programs,” Chris explained. “This is for them. We want them to know we’re grateful.” 

Carl and Roberta Vender appreciate that. In addition to being recipients, they also generously contribute both financially and with their time toward the annual memorial archery event.   

“Chris probably doesn’t even know how much this has helped some of the Veterans,” Carl said. “A lot of them are low-income and this makes such a difference.” 

Chris, a Purple Heart and Bronze Star recipient, served with the Montana National Guard from 1996 to 2009. He was deployed twice overseas and in 2004 to Iraq, as a newlywed and young father, he spent over 18 months away from his family. On his first day in Iraq, his Humvee was hit by an IED - one of many during year he served.

Through his experiences in Iraq, Chris adopted a strong leadership role. Even after leaving the military, he never stopped caring for his comrades and fellow Veterans. His military service gave him deep insight into the challenges that Veterans face once they are back home.  After his service, he worked at Stillwater Mine, graduated from college with several degrees, and spent years volunteering and working with numerous non-profit Veterans’ programs—taking Veterans hunting/fishing, helping them secure benefits, access trainings, housing, employment, or simply giving them emotional support. 

“You help yourself by helping others,” he said. “It’s the best way to take your mind off of your own struggles.” 

The idea for the meat locker came after Chris’ time volunteering for other Veterans programs. From the beginning, he has ensured MVML remains self-sustaining, without paid staff, and without government grants or funding. The mission has always been simple: provide a bag of free frozen meat to Veterans and/or their family as a Gratitude for Service.  

Each bag contains a variety of cuts and types of meat, which may include several pounds of deer, elk, beef burger and steaks, pork chops and sausage, and occasionally bison and poultry. Every recipient receives 12-15 pounds of meat to feed their family at each event. 

The meat giveaways are scheduled throughout the state, taking place this year in Billings, Kalispell, Helena, Great Falls, Belgrade, and multiple smaller towns. To participate in the meat giveaway, Veterans or their family members need only provide proof of service. 

Since 2017, MVML has provided over 350,000 pounds of meat to over 25,000 Veterans entirely for free. However, this impactful work comes with a significant cost; their yearly bill for processing alone stretches over $100,000 and that doesn’t include expenses for travel, utilities, and giveaway events. 

To cover the processing costs, Montana Veterans Meat Lockers relies on community support of monetary donations and several fundraiser raffles throughout the year. The biggest is a raffle for a private buffalo harvest on the Keating Ranch in Molt, Montana. 10,000 tickets are sold at $10 each and the winner is selected through a random drawing. Other popular raffles include the opportunity to win one of five Henry’s guns.  

“Montana Meat Lockers pays for the harvest,” said Christ, “In addition to the actual guaranteed harvest, the recipient also receives $3000 to cover their costs and then we deliver the processed meat to the winner.” 

The Meat Lockers program wouldn’t be successful without the partnership of meat processors across the state. 

“A lot of those guys get stuck with processing wild game that hunters end up not picking up and they save the meat until the end of the year. We’ll step in and pay the processing fee and give it to the Veterans,” Chris continued. 

A free spaghetti dinner for all Veterans, first responders and their families was held in Billings on September 11. The MVML provided a bag of frozen meat to each attendee.  

“We do stay busy,” Chris said. “Sometimes we get nervous when the freezers get low, but then we get donations of meat that we weren’t counting on and we’re back in the business of feeding Veterans’ families.” 

For more information, to make a meat or monetary donation
or to find out the schedule of meat donations visit:

Website: montanveteransmeatlocker.org
Facebook: MT Veteran’s Meat Locker