Yearlong anniversary giveaway will donate $6,500 to charity

The Rocky Mountain West is the most generous region in America, and for the past 25 years, Montana Gift Corral, a much-beloved gift store staple, has felt that generosity in the form of its loyal, growing customer base. Owner Bert Hopeman explains, “We started with one store on Main Street in 1993, and thanks to the support from the local community and traveling visitors, we’ve grown to five locations across Bozeman, the Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport, and Lewis & Clark Caverns. It’s amazing. We really love the people we serve and the beauty of Montana.”

In the early 90s, Montana Gift Corral’s founder Sharon Hopeman was looking for souvenirs with local flavor to take back to her family in Virginia but came up empty-handed. Sharon and her husband Bert decided to open a store in downtown Bozeman which centered on their love of the rocky mountain landscape, and a philosophy of sharing that love with visitors and locals alike. 25 successful years later, Montana Gift Corral feels like a Main Street staple. Their decades spent serving area customers as part of the Big Sky Country community calls for a celebration, but for the Hopemans, that doesn’t mean a sale or a party. Instead, they are holding a year-long giveaway, celebrating the Montana traditions of giving back, taking care of one another, and appreciating the world around us.

In March, Montana Gift Corral’s giveaway completed its third month of bi-weekly drawings. Based on the philosophy that getting a gift feels good, and giving one feels better, Montana Gift Corral is helping its customers do both: each winner receives a gift card, plus the opportunity to make a financial donation—which matches their gift card dollar amount—to any nonprofit of their choice.

Downtown store manager Mary Kenna has been making the phone call announcements to each winner, and says the response has been overwhelming. “People have been so positive and appreciative. But for me, the best part is when they get to pick the charity that the dollar-matched amount goes to. You really feel how much they care about their community.” Thanks to Montana Gift Corral and their giveaway winners, donations have already been made to Warriors and Quiet Waters, Heart of the Valley Animal Shelter, Meals on Wheel, Right to Life (Gallatin County), and the Snake River Animal Shelter.

In a time when many nonprofits are facing budget cuts, Montana Gift Corral hopes to make a positive impact by putting money back into the charities that their customers care about the most. The company has been a longtime supporter of community events and organizations, donating monthly and annually to area causes. But the 25th anniversary celebration is a different animal, giving locals and visitors the chance to help fund dozens of nonprofits in need—and the people, environments, and wildlife those organizations support. By year’s end, they will have donated $6,500 to charitable causes in this giveaway alone—a milestone for the whole community to celebrate.

To learn more about how these donations have positively impacted nonprofits, or information on how to participate, please contact Montana Gift Corral at GiftCorral.com or visit one of its three Bozeman locations, downtown, in the Gallatin Valley Mall, and inside Walmart.