Albertsons host community appreciation barbecue in Malta

When the humble, small town of Malta attracts people from Missoula and Great Falls, something good has got to be happening.

For the last fifteen years, that good thing has been Albertsons Community Appreciation Day Picnic.

The annual food and fellowship dinner for the last few years has attracted nearly 800 people from all over Phillips and surrounding counties.

Last Wednesday's (Aug. 20) picnic held at the stockman terrace, was no different, with even more in attendance.

The picnic featured brat wursts, hot dogs, chips, potato and macaroni salads, water, ice cream and water guns for the kids. Though there were people over 50 years of age armed in the event a child might open fire.

The company also had a few drawings, the biggest prize of which was a flat screen television won by Julie Moore.

Trisha Bushman and Mary Nordlund, were on top of the television drawing entering guests as soon as they hit the terrace.

Albertson's store manager Cheryl Voegel understands how important customers are to the store and her daily acts of service were put on full display at the feed.

"Years ago, we got store of the year," Voegel said. "We had a community barbecue and continued it."

Cheryl went on to say the barbecue in past years was either on front street in the park or in front of the store but the Stockman Terrace was the perfect place in the event of rainfall.

"This is just the perfect setup, so if we get a little bad weather we're set," she told the PCN. "I'm just glad we can do it."

Cheryl wasn't the only person representing the store. With help from some of the store's associates and help from the corporate offices in Great Falls and Missoula, the event held at the Stockman Terrace was more than a complete success, it was efficient and a good time was had by all.

Ken Schmieding, an Operation Specialist in Great Falls, was among three corporate employees helping man the grill and only one of five Albertsons Intermountain present at the event.

"We're here to help out, because it takes a lot of people to put on a nice barbecue for a community like this. So we're here to help," said Schmieding.

According to Schmieding, the company's goal was get enough people to help, so that Voegel could visit the customers as much as possible.

Voegel told the PCN, that in some years, there have been Albertson's employees all the way from Boise to help.

The company uses Voegel's community appreciation day as a model for other Intermountain stores in smaller areas.

"I'm here to serve the community," said Tom Tinsley, an Albertsons Operation Specialist from Missoula. We've heard about this for years and Cheryl gave us the opportunity to come here and help and up here we came."

Tinsley admitted he has done community appreciation barbecues in Salt Lake City, UT, but this was the first one in Montana.

When asked if they would bring the model to Missoula stores, he said, they were talking about it and it is possible for bigger towns, but they would start off in the smaller towns first.

"This definitely makes you realize this can be done for a community and how much it benefits the community and the store," Tinsley said.