CHEYENNE — The need for food access is evident across several populations in the state of Wyoming. To help alleviate this stress, several charitable groups in Cheyenne will sponsor a food drive on Saturday, August 24.

One in seven adults in the Equality State suffers from hunger, and it is estimated that one in five children in Wyoming suffers from hunger on a regular basis.

“While food banks are not a long-term solution to the problem of food insecurity in Cheyenne, they are an important stopgap measure and people in our community rely on them heavily,” a press release about the food drive said.

The food drive, sponsored by local Kiwanis, Lions, Rotary, Rotaract and Zonta clubs, will take place Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Albertsons on Yellowstone Road, King Soopers and Safeway. Donations will go to the FNBO Food Pantry and Veterans’ Rock at Laramie County Community College.

A list of high-demand items will be posted at each collection site, the press release said. Volunteers plan to collect non-perishable food donations; cash is not sought, but monetary donations will be used to purchase items on the list that are in low supply at the end of the food drive.

This year, the food collection is taking place for the third time in a row. Last year’s campaign collected an estimated two tons of food.

“The clubs hope to raise at least this amount this year, as demand for assistance has increased,” the press release states.

LCCC

Although college students are often considered a financially secure population, this does not mean that there does not need to be a food bank on campus.

Of the students who used the pantry last academic year, 60% were eligible to receive a Pell Grant, 40% were first-generation students, 35% were non-traditional students and over 25% of students who used the pantry had children of their own to care for, according to Ashley Garhart, student engagement coordinator at LCCC.

“Everyone needs food to survive, but they also need it to thrive, to get through college and be successful,” Garhart said. “After they finish here, it helps them enter the community, become professionals and help our economy. But really, it starts here with their education.”

For Garhart and her colleague, LCCC Pathways Coordinator and Cheyenne Rotary Club member Carole Boughton, the food drive is all about supporting students mentally and physically throughout their academic careers.

“We hear (students) talk about it in our classes: ‘If I have to choose between buying school supplies for myself or for my kids, I’m going to choose my kids.’ They do that all the time,” Boughton said.

LCCC was instrumental in starting this food drive three years ago and is hoping the drive will be a success as they are seeing an increase in need locally that mirrors an increase in need across the state, Boughton told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle.

“We live in a very, very generous community,” Boughton said. “(People should) know that the food is being collected and carefully distributed to the most needy areas of our community.”

Anyone who would like to help outside of Saturday’s food drive can donate to the food bank anytime or shop from the food bank’s Amazon wish list. For more information, visit lccc.wy.edu/life/foodPantry.aspx.

Veteran Rock

Veterans’ Rock serves veterans and their families, regardless of where they are in their service.

Their mission statement states, among other things: “They fought for our freedom. Now we must help them in small but effective ways to live free from the worries of everyday life.” Founder Cindy Stockdale and CEO Daryl Hogan know that nutrition is also one of these everyday worries.

“They are very grateful,” Stockdale said. “Every now and then we see a few tears. They are shocked that they can come here and get what they need for free.”

The food drive will help Veterans’ Rock continue to help veterans, Hogan said.

“We are all privately funded here at Veterans’ Rock. We don’t currently receive any government grants or anything like that,” Hogan said. “Anything we donate to the community helps us tremendously.”

When veterans first come to the food bank, they fill out an intake form to best allocate funds based on need, Hogan told WTE. Some veterans need to feed families, others need furniture for their first home after active duty. Some just need a shower and clean clothes.

Veterans’ Rock offers clothing, toiletries, furniture, a washer and dryer, and has even been able to give away cars to veterans in need. As for food, non-perishable items such as canned meat, canned fruit, and ravioli are very popular.

“Something they can open and not have to cook,” Hogan explained. “They can just open the can of ravioli and eat it because it’s already pre-cooked. They don’t have to worry about reheating it.”

The community will gather and drop off donations at Veterans’ Rock at 605 South Greeley Highway on Saturday. Volunteers include members of the Central High School football team.

“Most of our volunteers (are younger). We’re a little older and our knees are giving out,” Hogan joked to WTE. “It’s always good to have the young kids here to help us.”

Those who would like to help outside of Saturday’s food drive can subscribe to the Veterans’ Rock newsletter to be notified of high-demand items as they become available. For more information, visit veteransrockchey.org.

Both food banks have benefited from the Wyoming Hunger Initiative and the Food from the Field program, which provides access to wild game to their communities. Both groups told WTE they are incredibly grateful to Wyoming First Lady Jenny Gordon for her efforts to alleviate hunger in the state.