To understand Franc Marquart is to understand the need for the Northwest Montana Veterans Food Pantry. 

Originally from Boston, Marquart served in the National Guard for 28 years, including two tours in Iraq. He found his way to Montana 35 years ago, and today he’s on staff with the veterans pantry, where he spends his time walking fellow veterans through the wide variety of services provided. He sees firsthand how challenging life is for many veterans after they hang up their uniforms. 

And yet, he still isn’t sure if he would accept the same help he so willingly gives out.  

“I just have a hard time,” he said. “I’ll help other vets out, but myself, I’m not so good at receiving. I’d rather help somebody else more than myself.” 

This is the paradox the Northwest Montana Veterans Food Pantry, housed in a sprawling building in Evergreen, seeks to answer. Veterans trained to rely on themselves and their fellow soldiers are reluctant to ask for help, even when they desperately need it.

This is something Allen Erickson, who founded the organization in 2000 with his wife Linda, knows all too well. He served in the U.S. Navy, including time in Vietnam, and saw that his peers were wary of traditional assistance programs. The Ericksons felt there was a lack of resources for veterans in the Flathead Valley and decided to fill in the gaps the best they could. Today, the food pantry is one of just 17 nonprofit veteran service centers in the United States.  

“When we first started, people said, ‘Well, why do they need a food pantry for veterans? We have a food pantry,’” said Linda. “But they don’t realize that veterans do not want to feel like they have to accept charity. This organization is veterans helping veterans, and therefore they’re more comfortable.” 

This “veterans helping veterans” model has seen incredible success in the Valley, and the number of former service members seeking help at the food pantry has risen dramatically, according to Chief Executive Office Pamela Koller. 

In 2025, the organization helped 310 total veteran households, which amounted to 4,654 individuals. This year, not even halfway through 2026, the pantry has already served more than 500 veteran households.  

Koller isn’t exactly sure what has caused the significant increase, but she said the wide-open spaces of Montana have long drawn veterans from around the country. The majority of the 7,000 veterans they serve are not from Montana.  

“A lot of them suffer from trauma, from their experience in the service, and so a lot of times they come here to get away from the big cities, where there aren’t so many rules, where they go up into the mountains and they can just be alone,” she said. “They look for sanctuary.” 

Many of these veterans show up in Northwest Montana without a plan. The services the pantry provides go a long way in helping them find housing, employment and community. 

When new veterans walk through the door at the, a staff member meets with them to assess their needs. Some are looking for a job, others need help moving and many are just searching for a community of peers.  

Marquart always starts by asking which branch of the military they served in. During his time in Iraq, he worked with members from the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, and he can usually find a point of connection. Their shared experiences open the door for conversation, for understanding and for support.  

The pantry’s aim is to provide a hand-up, not a hand-out, and help these veterans “regain the confidence to reenter the society they served so loyally and whole-heartedly.” To this end, the pantry provides showers, laundry services, and clean clothing to those veterans who need them. They offer counseling and support groups as well as assistance in finding employment, medical care and housing. 

Even with the wide array of holistic services, the organization is still a food pantry at its core and provides hundreds of thousands of pounds of food to low-income, at-risk and homeless veterans and their families each year.  

While the food pantry itself is still reserved only for veterans, many other parts of the pantry are open to the public. They operate a thrift store and run a durable medical equipment loan program. The proceeds from both enterprises support the efforts of the food pantry. 

The organization also runs the annual Veterans Stand Down in Libby. Over two days, they provide food, clothing and medical care to veterans and their families in partnership with Veterans Affairs. The event continues to be one of the largest in the country. 

To meet the growing needs, Koller said the Veterans Food Pantry will continue to rely on the strong community support that has sustained the organization for more than 25 years.   

When the Ericksons first started supporting the veterans around them, the operation was bare bones. Allen stored clothing in a semi-truck in the driveway, and community members donated bags of potatoes. 

They wanted to establish something more permanent and officially launched the food pantry in 2002. By 2010, they were open five days a week and running out of space. An anonymous Navy commander purchased and donated the building the organization still operates out of today, just one example of the generous support from individuals and organizations that has made the food pantry possible.  

“We have an outpouring of love and affection from our community,” Koller said. “The community is our biggest supporter.” 

Reporter Elsa Ericksen can be reached at 406-758-4459 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.    

    Northwest Montana Veterans Stand Down & Food Pantry CEO Pamela Koller on Thursday, April 9. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider