BIGFORK — The Montana Legends, a nonprofit in Flathead County, hosts an annual Memorial Motorcycle Poker Run for Veterans on the Saturday before Memorial Day Weekend.
The Legends raffle off a motorcycle each year during the event, with proceeds going directly to food-insecure veterans in Northwest Montana.
“It’s pretty important that we support them after they have taken care of us,” said Montana Legends President JP Pettigrew.
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Nine pallets of food were loaded up on a trailer at Harvest Foods in Bigfork, with a retail value of $25,000, are going to the Northwest Montana Veterans Food Pantry in Kalispell.
“We try to do it every year just before Thanksgiving, just so it gives a lot of the homeless or the needier veterans some good food on the table,” said Pettigrew.
“We got more homeless veterans up here in northwest Montana than almost anywhere else in the country,” added Pettigrew.
As food banks face federal funding uncertainty during the government shutdown, Pettigrew said now more than ever is the time to help those in need.
“It seems like the country is just kind of in disarray, you know, nobody can figure it out, and that shouldn’t affect the needy and the homeless that we have here.”
Pettigrew said the Montana Legends have raised close to $500,000 for veterans in need over the last 16 years.
“The veterans are in need, you know, they depend on the food pantry for what they get and how they survive,” said Pettigrew.
Pam Koller — the CEO of Northwest Montana Veterans Food Pantry — said her pantry has seen a major influx of customers to start November.
“We average about 200 folks a month, we’ve already hit 100 folks the first week, so it’s definitely hit home for us,” said Koller.
She’s thankful for this annual donation from the Montana Legends, which makes sure the pantry’s shelves remain full.
“So this really makes us feel good because we know that we can make sure that our veterans are taken care of," said Koller.
