Engine 18 Gives Back To Student Athletes With Ground Beef Handout

Earlier last week Engine 18 received a large shipment of ground beef that was processed by producer partnership and generously donated by rancher Scott Anderson.

On Monday night Engine 18 was able to help local UMW athletes by having a ground beef handout. Students gathered at the new Engine 18 building and were able to get a bag full of ground beef to help them make ends meet.

A little about Engine 18 and the Producers Partnership.

Producer Partnership:

“The Producer Partnership was founded in 2020 because of neighbors looking to help each other during Covid. The simple idea of donating local protein, has resulted in the first USDA federally inspected, nonprofit owned and operated processing facility in the United States. 

“We are honored to be able to work with Engine 18 to process local beef donated by area ranchers in Beaverhead County for the Beef Handout Program. We are excited about this very generous donation from Scott Anderson, not only for this donation, but for future donations as well to provide access to beef for student athletes attending the University of Montana Western that are not living on campus” Matt Pierson, Founder and President

Engine 18:

Engine 18 is a tailgating fire engine built in 2017 by a group of University of Montana Western alumni and sports fans in Dillon, MT. Engine 18 was originally built to provide an ultimate tailgating experience, but quickly became a vehicle used for raising money for athletic scholarships at UMW. It was named Engine 18 in honor of UMW football player M.J. Simkins, whose life was tragically cut short. What started as an idea to build a tailgating vehicle to celebrate Bulldog athletics quickly became a means to raise funds for athletic scholarships and honor not only MJ’s life, but the lives of other Bulldog players and coaches past way too soon. Soon after, a beef handout program was started by the organization. Local ranchers who might have a cull cow or bull began donating the animal to Engine 18. In return the organization would pay to have the beef processed into hamburger and handed out to student athletes. Beef handouts typically take place once a month or if the need arises, arrangements can be made for other handout times.

Mark Simkins, a member of the Engine 18 Board, says, “This relationship with Producer Partnership, who picks up the animals, processes them and delivers the hamburger back to us, creates a win-win for Engine 18 and the student athletes at UM Western! We should able to reduce our operating costs, which will free up more funds for scholarships.”