Buffalo Saloon owner Rob Eickert gave proceeds from the Bigfork restaurant’s second annual bourbon tasting and auction to three veteran nonprofits on 9/11 last week.  

“We decided to go with three veteran-based charities, each person (involved) had a special connection to each of them. Next year, we may choose three different charities just based on where we feel the needs are ... all of these (nonprofits) do really important work here, that's for sure,” Eickert said.  

Valor Equine Therapy Service, Veterans Coalition of Northwest Montana and the Northwest Montana Stand Down and Food Pantry received a split of $50,000. The donation came from proceeds of the Aug. 9 bourbon tasting event, which Eickert and Evergreen Liquor Store Owner Michelle Moore started last year in an effort to give back to local veterans.  

For Eickert, scheduling the check giveaway on 9/11 held special significance.  

It’s a day Mike Stone with the Veterans Coalition of Northwest Montana won’t ever forget. Before he spoke about the nonprofit’s mission of destigmatizing mental health care for veterans, he talked about where he was that tragic day. 

“My two buds, every year on 9/11 we all send a message to each other. We've been doing it for 24 years, because all three of us served ... we were in different parts of the Pentagon (when the plane hit.) You don't forget what happened that day,” Stone said.  

Stone said the gift from the Buffalo Saloon will go toward their efforts to eradicate veteran suicide. Most of the members of their group certified in Question, Persuade, Refer or QPR, suicide prevention training —  which teaches warning signs of suicide and how to best get someone help.  

Stone said the group provides these trainings free of charge. 

“We'll come to you. I mean, we've gone to MSU three times for the army ROTC soldiers, and now we're doing reserve units too,” Stone said.  

For the Northwest Montana Veteran Stand Down and Food Pantry, the donation will largely go toward continued improvements and classes at Camp Ponderosa, the nonprofit’s veteran’s retreat in the Swan Valley.  

What was once a correctional facility is now a camp for veterans, where there is job training, classes for life skills like cooking and canning, therapeutic programs and the opportunity to slowly get back into being part of a community.  

“We do a lot of outreach to homeless veterans who are living out in the woods trying to convince them it's time to come back and reintegrate,” Activity Coordinator Joe Doilo said. 

Mental health for veterans and suicide prevention is also the focus of Valor, which offers equine therapy for veterans. VFW state chaplain and liaison “Cowboy” Bill Miles and Valor Special Events Coordinator Kevin Roberts spoke about the urgency for intervention when it comes to veteran suicide. There are around 18 veteran suicides per day in the U.S., according to the Veterans Affairs 2024 National Suicide Prevention Annual Report.  

Roberts said you never have to question if there is a veteran in need out there somewhere.  

“A lot of these guys are seeing four, five tours or deployments, and then we ask them to come home and integrate into a normal way of life, when we haven't helped them with what they've experienced in war,” he said. 

These are sentiments that also ring true for Ben Deetz, who purchased several items in the auction with friends. The local business owner and captain with Ferndale Fire said all of his friends and family are veterans, so he was happy to support the cause.  

“That’s the biggest thing, that the proceeds were going to organizations that are veteran affiliated. The other thing was Willie’s, just promoting a good, new, local Montana distillery,” Deetz said.  

Moore, one of the event organizers, initiated a partnership with Willie’s Distillery Inc. in Ennis. The veteran-run distillery supplied three bourbons for the tasting: Devil’s Brigade, Cattle Dog and Montana Honey Moonshine.  

Eickert said they expanded from 50 to 140 seats for the event and there were around 100 people in attendance. There was a four-course meal, a live band and many interesting items to bid on during the auction.  

“I think we did $20,000 that first year. This year, we said ‘How do we make it bigger and better?’ So we added more seats, we added more of a variety of the auction and just had a wonderful night,” Eickert said.  

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