Feed the Need - Flathead Valley, Montana

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Challenge: As food costs rose and more working families experienced food insecurity, local hunger-relief organizations needed a fundraising model that could mobilize donors quickly heading into winter. In 2022, Courtenay Sprunger founded Feed the Need to meet this moment—creating a community-forward benefit that would generate real dollars for meals while giving Big Sky Public Relations a meaningful way to give back locally. 

 

Approach: Big Sky PR served as event manager and promoter, building Feed the Need as an annual benefit concert with “pay what you can” accessibility, mission-centered messaging, and a sponsor structure designed to maximize dollars raised. Big Sky PR secured strong founding sponsors and built long-term sponsor continuity year over year, while pairing national visibility with beloved regional talent—including The Voice contenders Tommy Edwards and Clint Sherman. After a smaller 2024 event due to a venue change, Big Sky PR made a deliberate pivot to scale: moving to the Wachholz College Center in 2025, booking national act Drake Milligan, and building major sponsorship support—anchored by Toyota as title sponsor and strong partners including Town Pump and founding community pillar Lucy Smith.

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Results: Feed the Need grew rapidly from a new local fundraiser into a major regional giving event—raising approximately $40,000 in 2022, just under $70,000 in 2023, and in 2025 bringing in more than $183,000, surpassing the Flathead Food Bank’s $175,000 goal while strengthening sponsor participation and long-term community investment.