Andrew Stiff, formerly a Butte Rescue Mission client and now a shelter coordinator at the Mission, stands in the facility’s kitchen in August
Montana’s food banks are lifesavers for thousands of residents who struggle every day with food insecurity, and Andrew Stiff of Butte understands that fact as much as anyone possibly can.
Stiff has made a remarkable journey from down-and-out single father fighting addiction and contemplating suicide to now working for the same Butte Rescue Mission (BRM) that rescued him.
“I was in a pretty dire situation,” Stiff said, as his life spiraled down into the chaos of alcoholism in the spring and summer of 2021. “I was a terrible alcoholic. I lost my job, so then I lost my apartment. I lost everything. It was a struggle to panhandle every single day to get the food we needed to survive.”
On a cold winter night several months later, as Stiff was looking for a meal and shelter, he found his way to the Butte Rescue Mission. That night changed his life forever — Stiff found not only food, but refuge.
The Mission accepted him into its recovery program on Christmas Eve 2021. He began a new path toward sobriety, developing new life skills and transforming his life. His recovery so impressed the BRM staff that executive director Brayton Erickson gave him a job at the Mission in 2023 while he was still in the shelter’s recovery program, from which he graduated in January 2024.
Now a shelter coordinator for BRM, Stiff enjoys giving back and helping others who face the same challenges he did.
“I love my job,” he said. “There’s nothing I would rather be doing than helping people who are in the same boat I was. It’s not fun out there.”
He said food insecurity remains a problem in Montana communities across the state and is grateful to the Town Pump Charitable Foundation for its fundraising campaign for Montana food banks each fall.
Butte Rescue Mission is one of a record 123 food banks in Montana that participated in 2025 in the “Help Those in Need” campaign, which originated in 2001. The campaign has raised about $56.5 million for Montana food banks in 24 years, including over $13.7 million in matching grants from the Town Pump Charitable Foundation.
The money is frequently used to purchase perishable food items, such as milk, bread, fruit and vegetables. Also, the funds are becoming more crucial in helping many food bank organizations simply stay open through payment of rent, utilities and space for storage, refrigeration and freezing.
“Our local food banks are working at maximum capacity serving more and more families dealing with rising costs of groceries and other household items,” said Bill McGladdery, of the Town Pump Charitable Foundation.
Donations for the campaign were collected at Town Pump convenience stores, casinos and hotels, while donations made directly to participating food banks were matched, as well.
“Your donations are greatly appreciated at Montana food banks,” Stiff said.
Stiff also encouraged Montanans facing food insecurity to visit a food bank in their community.
“Food banks can really help you and your family,” he said. “They make a difference.”
Over $4 million in Food Bank funding generated in 2025 including matching funds.
Visit townpumpfoundation.com to learn more about Town Pump Charitable Foundation.
