Giving back to a community that ‘saved her life’

“In my life, when people need you, you help them no matter what.”

This quote from “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” is a guiding principle of Lake County Community Support, a new nonprofit in St. Ignatius. When the pandemic hit in March, Shayna Cullinan knew there were people who might need help as everything was shutting down.

With less than $500 from their tax returns, Shayna and her husband, Ben, bought food at Mission General Store. Shayna put messages on her Facebook page and on a community page offering food or other help if anyone was in need.

Initially, they expected to be helping folks for what they thought would be about a two-week shutdown. But they soon learned differently.

“It quickly turned into ‘No, we can’t quit doing this — our community needs us,’” Shayna said.

They rose to the challenge. With help from Ben’s mother and brother and two friends, the tiny band of altruists has since given out over 600 “Hand Up” boxes that include food, and were customized with hygiene supplies, baby supplies or other items people requested. They have helped people with car repairs, emergency hotel rooms, and even pet food. And they have shipped hundreds of virus-protection masks to anywhere in the U.S. for free, made and donated by Ben’s mother, ReCreate Designs of Polson, and others.

LCCS will hold its first public event Nov. 10. They will be giving away boxes of Thanksgiving dinner ingredients to all comers from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the St. Paul Lutheran Church. The team will be masked and will deliver the boxes to cars.

“I will make sure, to the best of my ability, to have everything we need so we don’t have to turn anyone away,” Shayna said.

By July 1, they had received nonprofit status for their newly minted LLC, Lake County Community Support (LCCS). Shayna, 27, is executive director, applying for grants, accounting for expenditures, accepting donations, setting up a web page with a needs request form. The group successfully demonstrated their competence at disbursing and accounting for the first $3,000 installment of a Food Pantry grant from Montana’s CARES ACT COVID-19 relief funds, so the second installment, $7000, was released to them in mid-October. They are looking for office space or a house to renovate into an office.

Shayna said when her first notices went out, hundreds of people responded that they were available to help or donate. They now have systems in place to ensure donations are tax deductible and are working toward getting insurance so they can safely accept volunteer help.

“We are going to do our very best to stop hunger and try and stop poverty,” Shayna said. “No judgement. It doesn’t matter why you need help. If you need help, we will help however we can. We’ve been there.”

Shayna knew nothing about managing a nonprofit last March when she and Ben “just stepped in and stepped up,” as she explained. “We’ve been learning as we go.” She credits her mentor, May Simmons of Polson, with teaching her every step of the way. She stressed the importance of maintaining integrity and transparency.

“We may not be perfect as we are learning, but we do the very best that we can. I try to pay really close attention to everything, so we are 100 percent upfront about it.”

Though new to business management, Shayna does know about living in difficult circumstances herself. A victim of childhood cancer that damaged her eyesight, she is supported by Supplemental Security Income. Ben, a disabled veteran of the Montana National Guard, also receives SSI.

“It was tough being told I would not be employable,” Shayna said. “I had worked all through my teen years.” She said starting LCCS gives her a chance to work at something important to her.

“We didn’t want to be stuck in a rut anymore,” she said. “My life is drastically different than it was two years ago. We found the good, and connected with the good, and we’ve found more good every day.”

Besides illness, her family suffered tragedies and severe bullying in childhood. Moving from large schools, with class sizes of 800, to a 12-person class at Charlo at age 15 “saved my life,” she said. She now lives in St. Ignatius.

“I just wanted to give to the community, find a way to say thank you for the way that they have given to me.”

She said she still suffers terrible anxiety, but lets people know when she is overwhelmed.

“People have been very understanding and supportive and remind me: ‘Take care of you.’ We make the choice every day to do at least some tiny step forward.”

Shayna has always made it clear to her seven younger siblings that if they ever need her for anything, she is there for them.

“I want the community to feel that same way,” she said. “The world needs it so badly. If you need it and we can help with it somehow, we absolutely will.

“I’m pretty happy to do it. It makes me smile.”

To make a needs request, or donate or volunteer, call (406) 381-2115 or visit lakecounty2020.com or the Lake County Community Support page on Facebook.