Allen Erickson, founder of the Northwest Montana Veterans Stand Down and Food Pantry, received an anonymous Christmas present he’ll never forget — an 11,098-square-foot building.

“I’m still not over the shock,” he said Friday. “It’s hard to believe, but I’ve got the papers and it says it’s ours.”

Located next to Gold Rush Pawn Company and Kmart on U.S. 2 in Evergreen, the two-story building includes office space, warehouse storage space and restrooms.

The new location more than quadruples Erickson’s current 2,400 square feet spread across three buildings on Montana 35.

The gift to veterans came with a paved parking lot with 48 spaces compared to the five, unpaved parking spaces that become muddy and difficult to use at times.

“We’ll be more efficient and have the facilities to help more people,” he said.

Erickson remains in the dark about who provided the money —  or how much —  that allowed Shannon Nalty of Nalty Real Estate to put the building transfer together. The veterans center had been working with Nalty to try and find a building with more space.

During that process, Erickson and his wife, Linda, looked at the former Rex TV store and the U.S. 2 building. The asking price started at $1.5 million, then was lowered to a little under $1 million.

“That was out of our league,” Erickson said.

Just as in a movie, the surprise came just before Christmas. Erickson said he was asked to come in. He signed papers that transferred ownership to the nonprofit Northwest Montana Veterans Stand Down and Food Pantry.

“I fainted and died,” he said with a laugh. “The good Lord works in small ways and big ways.”

He expects to move the operation in late spring after making some renovations and completing an addition to the U.S. 2 building.

According to Erickson, the help couldn’t have come at a better time.

He said that demand has doubled for the food, clothing, household goods, counseling and other services that the center provides for homeless, low income and at risk veterans.

“We’re taking care of 80 gals and guys that are homeless,” he said.

Erickson said he had clients return during the last year who haven’t been in since the center first opened in 2000. Many are struggling to survive on fixed incomes that haven’t kept up with costs.

“It’s always the same story,” he said. “We just don’t have enough money to make it anymore.”

The 2009 Stand Down event the first weekend in October in Libby attracted a record-breaking 1,787 veterans who received food boxes, flu shots, haircuts, surplus military clothing, Veterans Affairs and state social services and referrals to homeless shelters.

Once moved into the new location, the veterans organization plans to keep the three buildings at its current location and convert them into transitional housing for homeless vets.

Since acquiring the building, the nonprofit has solicited bids for a 28-by-46-foot addition to the back to house the pantry. The group also plans to add an elevator to reach the second floor to complete compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

“One of the nice things about the building is that it’s all handicapped-accessible,” Erickson said.

The organization has submitted a proposal to lease the second floor for a new Veterans Affairs center in the works for the Kalispell area. With that revenue, the center could more easily handle the additional expenses of operating and maintaining a larger building.

Erickson said they also need to install an overhead door into the warehouse since they acquired a forklift with a grant from Plum Creek Timber Co.

“We no longer have to break our backs lifting boxes,” Erickson said.

He hopes to find a plumber willing to donate labor for washer/dryer hookups, a water heater installation and plumbing for a shower. Homeless veterans use the washer, dryer and shower facilities.

The nonprofit group has a building fund that may cover the elevator installation but not the cost of the addition, estimated at around $80,000. Erickson said the group may have to borrow the money but hopes to secure donations to help out.

Sources of income for the center include a small grant for homeless services, donations for clothing and other items from its second-hand shop and donations of money from individuals, businesses and organizations.

Erickson said he can’t believe how far the organization has come since he and Linda started helping veterans out of their home.

“When we started, a guy came by with a pickup load of spuds and dumped them at our house,” he said. “We called all the vets we knew. Believe me, those spuds helped a lot of people.”

Erickson said they started providing services a few years before opening their pantry in Kalispell in 2000. Since then, they have expanded and grown mainly through the generosity of private businesses and local people.

“This valley is astounding,” he said. “They’re the greatest in the world to me and my vets.”

For more information, contact Northwest Montana Veterans Stand Down and Food Pantry at (406) 756-7304 or go to the Web site www.veteransfoodpantry.org.

Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by e-mail at cchase@dailyinterlake.com.