Builders support restaurants while giving to health-care workers

Nearly $40,000 in local restaurant gift cards are expected to go out to medical professionals in Kalispell and Whitefish next week, courtesy of Malmquist Construction and Bear Mountain Builders.

The collaboration came out of brainstorming sessions on how to give back, Tawnya Bingham of Bear Mountain said.

In her case, both she and her husband, Kelcey, have experience as volunteer firefighters and first responders.

“We were kind of kicking an idea around to help the front line staff, nurses but also janitors [and others], the people I feel are kind of looked aside, they’re not the ones who everyone is thinking of,” Bingham said. “They’re going home to their families and can’t actually deal with this right now. We just decided it was something we could maybe do with another builder to boost morale in the Valley and do something for someone else.”

Bear Barinowski of Malmquist said the gift cards work both ways, too.

“We feel like it’s really beneficial for both parties,” he said. “We know people in the restaurant industry, so we just talked to them and asked if this was a good idea, if it helps and everyone said this is a wonderful thing.”

Both Bear Mountain and Malmquist contributed $8,000 each to fund the gift cards, then reached out to past clients to ask for donations from them as well.

“We’ve had some significant donations, anywhere from $50 to $5,000,” Bingham said. “It’s just been an awesome response.”

Both Barinowski and Bingham said they feel fortunate their industries haven’t been hit as hard as others.

Construction work is essential, and both companies have reorganized their schedules so only one subcontractor is on a site at a time, they said.

“The building industry hasn’t been shut down completely. About a month ago was we sent out an email to all our subcontractors and said, ‘Hey, it’s coming this way, let’s take steps now.’ We’ve just been in contact with them on a daily basis just so they feel safe,” Bingham said. “It’s slowed our jobs down, but it hasn’t completely halted them, so we’re extra fortunate we’re still able to work and move forward on our jobs.”

“That’s another reason it was a good chance to give back, since we’re still able to collect our paychecks,” she added.

Barinowski said it’s just a part of being a member in the community.

“We’re really grateful to live in Whitefish, to work for the people we do, and I think now is the time we can reach out to folks and say thank you. We wanted to give a sizable amount to show how serious we were about it too,” he said. “We want to be a builder that’s known as a community builder and someone that helps other people. We want people to know we don’t just care about the people were working for, we care about the community.”

Bingham says they’re still working with the hospitals to figure out the best way to deliver the gift cards to every medical professional, which will amount to a couple hundred per person and be purchased from local restaurants around the Valley.

“It doesn’t seem super significant, but it’s a small token of appreciation. It’s scary to have to go to a job that only pays $15 an hour and hope that you’re safe and not getting your family sick,” Bingham said. “Our intention wasn’t to get publicity, it’s just something we feel strongly about. We’re all part of a small community.”