Good in the World Through Cole’s Pantry
Bridger
Written by Stella Fong
Photography by Stella Fong
In 2009, 8-year-old, Cole Pelican was tragically killed helping his family on their cattle ranch outside of Bridger. His death left a void in his family that would never be filled, but with it also came the desire to do something to keep his memory alive.
Cole loved his family and ranch life and had an uncanny ability to recognize need in his friends and classmates. A sensitive child, it is told that he often shared his lunch with his classmates and worried that they didn’t have enough food. After his death, older sister, Fallon Pelican, hoped to do something in his memory that would honor his character and do something for the community.
“Fallon is amazing,” Carol Brumfield, Fallon and Cole’s grandmother said. “Cole really looked up to her. He was outgoing and had a big personality. He was very compassionate and caring and loved people. He was always hungry when he got home, and always brought food to school to share with others.”
Fallon honored that character trait in Cole and as a junior in high school, she began a program through Family Consumer Career Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) in the hopes that local children who might otherwise go without, be provided with a backpack of food for the weekend.
Her idea was successful from the beginning and Cole’s Pantry was launched. Now in its eleventh year, Cole’s Pantry not only provides backpacks of food for Bridger students, but students from all over the state.
Inside the classroom of Vicki Kaufman’s Family and Consumer Science classroom, at Bridger High School, students loaded backpacks with food for Cole’s Pantry. Every week on Fridays, backpacks are filled with items such as bread, cheese sticks, celery, tangerines, pretzels and spaghetti to go to families in need for weekend nourishment.
On the back wall of Kaufman’s room on a purple backdrop, the painted image of a tree in bloom canopied the words, “BELIEVE THERE IS GOOD IN THE WORLD.” From the humble beginning of feeding several dozen kids in Bridger to now feeding 2100 kids weekly in 14 different counties from 38 different schools in Montana, Cole’s Pantry has exemplified the motto.
Efforts have branched to Fromberg, Laurel, Glasgow, Shepherd, Reed Point, Red Lodge, Deer Lodge, Huntley, Belt and Miles City and interest continues to grow.
Adriano Rides Horse, Marcos Florez, Jace Weimer, Chance Pelican, Baylor Pospisil, Cooper Frank and Lucius Payovich spent 2ndperiod Food Service Class helping put food in new backpacks numbered with a small tag to maintain anonymity.
“It’s nice helping out,” Rides Horse said.
Jace Weimer continued, “This is helping out the community.”
“We are helping those in need,” Payovich added.
“Just knowing the impact we are making is a good feeling,” Cooper concluded.
For Florez, his sentiments hit closer to home, “I used to be homeless once. I know how it feels having no food.”
Currently, “Those in need are referred by a counselor or staff member,” Kaufman said. “The biggest, biggest part of Cole’s Pantry is it is anonymous. A letter and application are sent home with the student. Every student Pre-K-8 gets an application. They can choose to turn it in or not. If they ask, they must need it.”
Cole’s Pantry offers grants to schools or food pantries that want to start their own program, having given out over $40,000, in the past decade, to jumpstart pantries.
“We don’t give them the money and run,” Kaufman said of her always being present to provide guidance. She knows, especially in schools, “It’s hard for teachers to take on more.”
In 2018, the First Annual Cole’s Pantry Dinner, Dance, and Auction coordinated by Carol Brumfield and Platinum Salon of Billings brought in more monies to help spread the program to other rural locations. Pancake breakfasts and chili feeds also contribute to raising funds. Cole’s Pantry has a FACEBOOK presence https://www.facebook.com/2016colespantry/ and a website https://colespantryinc.com/.
Cole’s generosity constantly continues. His brother, Chance, created Cole’s Playground Posse with the help of Kaufman three years ago to help kids stay active. “We thought of what we liked to play with,” he said, and from there has delivered basketballs, volley and soccer balls, bats, jump ropes and frisbees to Laurel Middle School and Huntley Project Elementary.
For Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter holidays, volunteers from Cole’s Pantry, “Plan. Shop. Cook. Cleanup,” Kaufman said of preparing meals for the Senior Center in Bridger. “We usually cook for 100 people. We invite other senior citizen groups in the valley.”
Kaufman said, with a glint of hope in her eye, of Cole’s Pantry spreading more good, “From its beginning, it’s more than we could have ever hoped for. We hope to be a resource to help meet the needs of the kids.”