BILLINGS – In the first years after end of the Cold War, Tom Asay of Forsyth had a dream. Upon returning from the Siberian city of Kemerovo, the former state legislator believed that the people of the United States — not the government — could reach out to help the people in need there.
He found traction in his dream here in Billings, where the community stepped up to make his dream a reality. He found an ally in Sheryl Shandy, director of the Billings Food Bank, who facilitated an outpouring of food and clothing donations for the people of Siberia.
Jerry Dernbach, head of medical supply firm Cardio-Med Associates, put out the call for donations of medical supplies. Attorney Jim Preston facilitated the legal agreements and satisfied all the federal agencies that need to grant their blessing.
In early 1992, a cargo plane loaded with food, clothing, medical supplies, pharmaceuticals, and a Q2 news crew left Billings bound for Siberia. There, they found a city thankful for the generosity of the people of Montana and Wyoming.
Watch the video above to see this Q2 Rewind look back at this humanitarian aid effort.
