It’s giving season for Northwest Montana businesses. Each year, large companies and small locally owned shops donate thousands of dollars and provide ample volunteer hours to support nonprofits across the region. 

Whether it’s product collaboration, proceed nights, competitive employee fundraisers or packing boxes at the food bank — there are many different ways local businesses choose to help community organizations.  

A 2024 survey by the National Federation of Independent Businesses showed that 90% of small business owners have financially supported community or civil groups, charities, youth sports programs, schools and religious organizations in the previous 12 months. Sixty-three percent of small business owners reported providing in-kind contributions. 

At Montana Coffee Traders, a portion of the proceeds from the company’s Trailblazer coffee blend goes toward trail maintenance projects in Glacier National Park. The blend was created in 2010 to celebrate the park’s centennial birthday, according to Coffee Educator Katie Carlson.  

“We knew we wanted to keep supporting Glacier’s trails, so we renamed the blend Trailblazer. The name and the original label was created by a former Montana Coffee Traders sales rep who also worked on trail crews in the early 2000s,” she explained.  

Funds go toward the Glacier National Park Conservancy, which is the nonprofit partner for Glacier National Park.  

The conservancy’s Community Partnerships Lead McKenna Quick led a project visit with Carlson this summer to show progress on the boardwalk maintenance happening on the Hidden Lake Overlook trail at Logan Pass.  

Carlson said it’s a visit she looks forward to every year, and seeing how the project is going makes her appreciate the work of trail crews in the park.  

“It’s one of the park’s busiest and most popular trails. Crews are in the process of replacing worn boardwalk planks to better handle the heavy foot traffic and updating the height and length between the steps to make them easier to navigate,” Carlson said.  

There are more than 50 official business partners supporting the conservancy, including Sportsman and Ski Haus, Dick Anderson Construction, Glacier Bank, Glacier Guides and Montana Raft and Glacier Outfitters.  

The Glacier National Park Conservancy plans to give $4.39 million next year to fund projects supporting “wildlife, wilderness and wonder,” according to its 2026 Funding Needs guide. Those three themes encompass the nonprofit’s commitment to provide educational opportunities, preserve the park’s natural resources and support research into key species that call the park home.  

2025 was a bit tumultuous for the National Park Service — which faced job and funding cuts led by the Trump administration, followed by a lengthy shutdown of the federal government.  

Quick said the organization has seen businesses double down on support this year.  

“We have really wonderful, continuous business partners who have really stepped up this year. Their support is really important in helping us continue our work as best as we can,” Quick said.  

For Carlson and other Coffee Trader employees, giving back to Glacier National Park is a priority and connects them to a place where they’ve spent countless hours hiking, biking, swimming and climbing.  

“We’ve just built a lot of unforgettable memories and friendships shaped by time spent in the park. And by supporting Glacier trail systems, we’re helping keep the park protected and accessible for future generations to explore,” Carlson said.  

Supporting nonprofits that center around outdoor recreation is a popular choice for businesses in Northwest Montana, but there is a lot of good to go around — a new effort by Les Schwab focuses on making new tires accessible to those who can’t afford them  

The “Tires for a Purpose” program was piloted in 2024 and went live this year, according to Travis Swan, assistant manager for Les Schwab in Kalispell. The program offers a set of new tires that comes with a warranty.  

“New tires make a huge difference, because then you don’t have to worry about them for a long time. And you have the warranty that backs it up, the same as if you bought it,” Swan said.  

So far, the store has donated new tires to two local nonprofits, including snow tires for a vehicle used by the West Shore Food Bank and all-season tires for a transport van used by the Flathead Youth Home.  

The West Shore Food Bank food van racks-up around 150 miles per week between delivering to outlying communities and picking up donations from local grocery stores, according to Board President Julia Sunde. The van transports around 130,000 pounds of food a year.  

After spending money on new winter tires in previous years, Volunteer Coordinator Holly Whittekin saw the opportunity to apply for tires through the Les Schwab program, and the results came quickly. Sunde said after being awarded tires, they were installed in about an hour.   

The business provided studded tires as opposed to winter tires, which Sunde said will make a difference when drivers navigate potentially wintery roads along Flathead Lake, making deliveries to the Ronan Food Bank and dropping off snack packs at the elementary school in Dayton.  also gave them studded tires, as opposed to just winter tires.  

“We have a lot of use for a van, and it’s not like we can call and say ‘We’ll be there tomorrow!’ The food would spoil and the people wouldn’t get it, so we are really on a schedule where we use the van every weekend and then at least one day during the week. We needed to be safe and [Les Schwab] took care of us,” she said.  

There have been 29 donations made by all Les Schwab locations in Montana so far this year, according to Swan. New winter tires for larger vehicles can run thousands of dollars, and with the prices of new tires and maintenance not getting any cheaper, Swan said it feels good to help people when money is tight.  

“Les Schwab has a long history of supporting organizations that focus on youth and families and education. But on a personal level, it’s nice to know that we made an impact,” he said. “Especially with the Flathead Youth Home, my kid goes to school with some of these kids and I see that van pick them up in the morning. And knowing we made that safe for those kids makes a big difference.”  

Finding avenues for employees to give back to their communities is a proven way to increase morale. A 2023 report from the Ares Charitable Foundation found that employees whose organizations offered volunteer opportunities were more likely to be satisfied with their professional lives.  

Across the five countries included in the study, employees who participate in the volunteer programs that their organization offers are more satisfied overall with their job, with 79% satisfied versus 55% among those who do not volunteer, according to the global nonprofit. 

Volunteering through workplace opportunities has soared over the last three years, according to a 2024 report from charitable donation management company Benevity. 94% of their clients with employee engagement programs are now running volunteering initiatives, the report continued.  

The company’s 2022 Talent Retention Study showed employees who participated in these kinds of programs were 52% less likely to leave their company.  

Those sentiments ring true for many at Applied Materials, which asks employees from its Kalispell location to help pack food boxes at the Flathead Food Bank ahead of the holiday season.  

Applied Materials, which employs hundreds of people in the region, manufactures equipment for semiconductors that are used in a variety of electronic devices, including smartphones and computers.  

Flathead Food Bank Executive Director Chris Sidmore said among the many great businesses that contribute to the food bank, Applied is the biggest financial partner. 

Applied Materials’ Fight Against Hunger Campaign raised $65,000 for the food bank last year and has a similar goal for 2025. Employees come up with a number of ways to raise money during their campaign, including trivia, pinball tournaments and chili cook-offs.  

The business also donated $100,000 this year to the nonprofit’s capital campaign, which will go toward renovating the food bank building and updating important equipment like walk-in fridges and freezers.  

“And on top of that, they come out and they volunteer a handful of times throughout the year as well, Sidmore said. “I always joke around with them because they’re kind of your typical engineers. They’re very structured, very smart. They all line up and make this giant human conveyor line and they work really hard. The one group that I’ve seen that maybe gives them a run for their money is the 4-H kids.” 

Brian Aegerter, general manager of Applied Materials in Montana, has worked for the company for nearly 30 years. He said the food bank is just one of several organizations supported by the company, but the kind of employee involvement demonstrated there is why he believes they are unparalleled. 

In addition to volunteer opportunities, the company’s foundation also offers generous matching grants for donations made by employees, Aegerter said.  

They prioritize four philanthropic areas, which are education, arts and culture, civic engagement and environment.  

He called the Fight Against Hunger Campaign a “phenomenal effort” where almost every single employee gets involved and gets behind the effort from a fundraising standpoint, on top of the volunteering in the community. 

“It’s really important for us to let the community know that we’re here not only for our place, but we’re here for them as well. And that involves reaching out to all the nonprofits and trying to find ways to get involved with them,” he said.  

Many local businesses contribute to nonprofits through the Whitefish Community Foundation, which helped raise $8.1 million for 85 Flathead nonprofits during the 2025 Great Fish Challenge. Learn more at whitefishcommunityfoundation.org.

Reporter Taylor Inman may be reached at 758-4440 or [email protected].   

    The boardwalk trail at Logan Pass in Glacier National Park protects sensitive alpine vegetation as hikers make their way up to the Hidden Lake Overlook. (photo courtesy of the Glacier National Park Conservancy)
  

    Proceeds from Montana Coffee Traders' Trailblazer coffee blend goes toward trail maintenance in Glacier National Park. (photo courtesy of Montana Coffee Traders)
  

    Montana Coffee Traders and Glacier National Park conservancy employees enjoyed a project visit this past summer, to see progress on the maintenance of the Hidden Lake boardwalk trail. (photo courtesy of Montana Coffee Traders)
  

    Les Schwab of Kalispell employees with West Shore Food Bank volunteers, showing off their donated winter tires. (photo courtesy of Les Schwab of Kalispell)
  

    Applied Materials employees who volunteered for the Flathead Food Bank this year. (photo courtesy of Applied Materials)
  

    Applied Materials employees pack food boxes ahead of their Thanksgiving handout. (photo courtesy of Applied Materials)
  

    Brian Aegerter, general manager of Applied Materials in Montana said their volunteer power is unmatched. (photo courtesy of Applied Materials)