Facebook group helps with community needs

Thousands of Flathead Valley residents have joined the “Surplus Flathead Valley” group on Facebook, created to help get important goods to local residents during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Mason Brubaker and Mark Hader, the group’s creators, said it is a place for communal sharing – people who are in need can reach out to the community while those with extra supply of certain items can offer help to others.

The group had nearly 2,400 members as of Tuesday afternoon.

Hader and Brubaker created the group on Monday. “I was just tired of hearing about things being sold out” and people leaving stores in frustration, Hader said.

Brubaker said she was thrilled by how much it had grown in just 24 hours. “It was really nice to see all that positivity,” she said.

Brubaker and Hader said many people were asking about toilet paper and sanitary wipes, as expected. But there were also a lot of requests for baby formula, pet food and medical supplies.

“If people did panic-buying and now they’re feeling a little guilty, feel free to join the group and give what you have,” Hader said, adding this is also a way to “help build the community, especially in this disarray.”

Brubaker stressed the group was not a place to post articles or find news about the pandemic. She and Hader are approving every post to maintain the strict focus on communal giving and sharing.

“Surplus Flathead Valley” is a public Facebook group, but new members should read the group rules before posting.

Reporter Colin Gaiser may be reached at 758-4439 or cgaiser@dailyinterlake.com.