BLOOMINGTON - Volunteers who helped in the construction of the Montgomery family's Philo home came together Sunday night to watch the ABC program "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition."

A sense of togetherness was felt by the 200 people at the Doubletree Hotel and Conference Center.

"It was a great team effort, not just on our part, but all (those who worked)," said Todd Isaacson, owner of Isaacson Concrete and Excavating, Normal. Isascson's building donated materials and the work of 30 men to perform demolition, excavating, landscaping and septic work on the home, along with the help of several other businesses in the Champaign-Urbana area.

Isaacson said the Aug. 25 reveal of the finished house was "just amazing."

"It brought tears to my eyes," he said. "They were so happy and thrilled."

Ed Brady, co-owner of Brady Homes, which built the two-story arts and crafts-style home, said the experience proved "pretty emotional."

"It was neat to see the family come home," Brady said, expressing admiration for Nathan and Jenny Montgomery and their family.

"To feed 250 families a week is a pretty incredible mission," Brady said, referring to the food pantry, Salt & Light, which the family operates. The nondenominational ministry serves Champaign County residents who are at or below the poverty line.

"When we heard their story and saw their home it was pretty obvious what we had to do," Brady said.

Kirk C & D Recycling, Carpet Weavers and Misch Excavating, all of Bloomington, also assisted on the site.

Volunteer coordinator Bob Mathes described the experience of overseeing 2,200 to 2,500 volunteers. His employer, State Farm Insurance Cos., gave him five weeks away from his usual position as supervisor of advertising services to work on the site.

Mathes, who was present at the house's reveal, said when some of the builders cried that day, he didn't know whether the tears were due to joy or exhaustion.

"It's kind of neat to have closure on this," he said of the viewing party.

Guests of the party paid $15 each. Proceeds went to the Clare House food pantry in Bloomington.

The ABC program showed the terrible condition of the family's previous 105-year-old house.

Nathan Montgomery told host Ty Pennington that he fell through the roof of the front porch while attempting to install a window and that while his wife was in the kitchen a snake came from the roof through a hole in the corner. They both expressed concern during the program that the house was unsafe for their four children, Ashton, 13; Benjamin, 9; Addison, 5; and Lillian, 4.

"I'm going to be so happy when you tear the house down," Addison told Pennington.

The family was enjoying a vacation at Walt Disney World which the program funded when they received notice that their mortgage on their first home was paid in full. The Doubletree audience cheered upon seeing the family's happiness at the news.

The program also coordinated a food drive which yielded five semitrailer trucks of food for Salt & Light and gave the pantry a mini makeover with a fresh coat of paint and new office furniture.

Members from the program also showed the family a video of people whom they had helped through their pantry.

"If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have groceries, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart," one woman who was working on the site told the family.

Jenny Montgomery expressed gratitude in the program to the volunteers from Central Illinois.

"Many of them were taking vacation days, and those are precious, precious days. And they gave them to my family," she said through tears.

After the new home was revealed to the family, Pennington said, "if you love this house, then give a big hug to Bob and Ed Brady from Brady's Homes," prompting enthusiastic applause from the hotel's audience.