BILLINGS — First Interstate Bank gifted Cole’s Pantry, a non-profit, a $25,000 check Thursday morning in Billings.
“They have no idea why they're coming,” Amberly Pahut, executive director of the First Interstate Bank Foundation said Thursday.
Lindsey Ferster, communications coordinator, and Carol Brumfield, co-president and Cole’s grandma, were shocked by the gift they received for the non-profit.
“I was like, are you kidding? Yes. Very surprised, very tickled,” Ferster said Thursday.
Watch Cole's Pantry reaction to the $25,000 check:
After this check, First Interstate Bank donated $1 million to 40 different non-profits across the community this year.
“This is the culmination of the 2025 Believe in Local program,” Pahut said.
Pahut emphasized that it’s a priority for First Interstate to support the community.
“It's really been an important value to us as a company all these years to show up alongside community partners to make Billings and our other communities where First Interstate Bank is the healthiest and happiest they can be,” Pahut said.
First Interstate Bank believes in what Cole’s Pantry will do for the community.
“Everything about this organization embodies what we believe in. And that includes showing up to support our friends and neighbors and then also active volunteerism,” Pahut said.
Cole’s Pantry began in 2010 after Cole Pelican passed away in a horseback riding accident in 2009.
According to Brumfield, Cole knew there were children in his school going hungry and wanted to do anything to help them.
“For me, it's personal, It's family…and it's just what you do to honor somebody that you lost,” Brumfield said.
By the end of 2024, the program fed over 3,000 students across 45 rural communities in Montana.
Although there is not a physical pantry, Cole’s pantry ensures children receive the support they might need.
“We cut them a check to buy their own pantry needs, whether that is food or hygienic products,” Ferster said.
