Libby hosts 20th Annual Veterans Stand Down

More than 900 veterans from all over the Northwest came out for Libby’s annual Stand Down this past Friday and Saturday.

Stand Down is a collaborative community outreach that has offered assistance to thousands of vets for the last two decades.

Allen Erickson, U.S. Navy Veteran and founder of the Northwest Montana Stand Down, said the event sees anywhere from 600 to 2,500 vets.

It is through Erickson’s vision that the two-day annual event became a veteran’s service center offering a helping hand to homeless, low-income and at-risk veterans and their families.

Stand Down provides free haircuts, food boxes, hot meals, surplus military clothing, access to a staffed medical bus and flu shots.

It also includes several organization booths that provide resources for transportation, IDs, housing, banking, suicide prevention, counseling and legal services.