Cool People Doing Cool Things Pt. 1: Veteran Offers Food to Nourish the Body and Soul

Today we're launching "Cool People Doing Cool Things". Periodic giveaways to people and organizations in all 50 states doing something everyday to build community in a too-often isolated world. 

Our first recipient is very appropriate for Memorial Day Weekend: the SW Montana Veterans Food Pantry in Deer Lodge, MT. This weekend (Friday through EOD Monday), we're donating 10% of all sales to this incredible organization. 

THE STORY

When Jay Wood retired from a long career in the Air National Guard in 2020, he knew he wanted to do something to give back to fellow veterans. 

In his small but tight knit community of Deer Lodge, he too often saw fellow veterans without enough to eat and isolated from the community, too proud to ask for assistance. 

So he converted his former small engine repair shop on the town's main street into the first veteran's food pantry in his part of Montana. Soon after, his wife Susan Wood joined him in his endeavor. 

The pantry the Wood's built provides more than food. It's a center of community and hope for veterans and others throughout rural Montana. Both Jay and Susan spend their time driving veterans to appointments, delivering essentials far and wide, and overseeing the pantry itself. 

It's a full time labor of love. 

Now, five years later, the SW Montana Veterans Food Pantry has grown to provide a wide array of essentials to veterans, from non-perishables to cheese. But they need support. The pantry relies purely on donations to survive, and maintenance expenses for their building are starting to pile up. They need to replace the roof, for one, and their food delivery vehicle is badly in need of repairs. 

We hope the proceeds from this weekend can help the Woods expand their mission and continue to enrich the communities of Southwest Montana. 

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Shop cheese with us this weekend! We're donating 10% off all proceeds to Jay and Susan's food pantry, and we happen to have a nice sale happening at the moment. To donate to the SW Montana Food Pantry, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, directly, visit their Facebook page and reach out.  

Watch the news story on KXLF of Butte on our visitto Deer Lodge in 2023, when we awarded Jay and his pantry a lifetime supply of cheese.