We invite you to take a peek at the PSA we created for WyoGives Day! |
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Volunteers and Summer Weather! |
A quick warm weather reminder: As our teams (volunteers and staff) are outside helping to serve our neighbors, remember to keep them safe and healthy! While the summer sun can be a welcome change from cold winter days, it can also lead to fatigue for those who spend a lot of time in it. There are several hazards brought about by Wyoming’s short but intense summer; these may include extreme heat, noise, and sun exposure. Extreme heat can cause fatigue, heat stroke, heat cramps, heat exhaustion, heat rash, and other problems. The summer weather hazards run the gamut from overexertion and dehydration. Here are some tips to take care of your team while they are nourishing your community: - Provide ample breaks in a shaded area.
- Reduce physical demands on each volunteer.
- Distribute plenty of water; about one cup of liquid every 15-20 minutes is ideal.
- Shorten outdoor volunteer shifts.
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Share salty snacks to replenish the body’s reserves.
- Provide sunscreen.
- Consider providing hats.
Stay safe in the sun by increasing shade, wearing sun-safe attire, applying sunscreen, and being mindful when scheduling outdoor activities. |
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Dates of Interest
August 15 Civil Rights & Food Safety Training deadline August 20 Updated truck routes for fall/winter posted
September 4 Labor Day; Food Bank of Wyoming closed September 29 Mobile Pantry Coordinator's Meeting Contact us with any questions at: helpdesk@wyomingfoodbank.org. |
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Pay Monthly Statements with a Credit Card
Your agency can pay via credit card! Because the security of your information is paramount to us, we have strict protocols around this process. - When you receive your monthly statement, verify that the charges and payments match your records.
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Payments are due on the last day of the month following the mailing of the statement.
- For example: For your January dated receipts, the monthly statement will be mailed on February 20. Payment will be due on April 30 at the latest.
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Paying by check or money order:
- Please write the agency number (A____-_) and the invoice numbers (AO-______) on your check to ensure your payment is reflected accurately.
- Mail to: Food Bank of Wyoming, P.O. Box 1540, Evansville, WY 82636
- Checks and money orders can be hand-delivered by appointment only.
- Paying by credit card:
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Please have on hand the agency number (A____-_) and the invoice numbers (AO-______) to ensure your payment is reflected accurately.
- Call our finance department at 307-232-4015 with billing information, invoice number, and agency number.
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Partner Spotlight: Lander
Care & Share |
Photo courtesy of Brad Christensen |
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Lander Care & Share Food Bank’s purchased food for distribution comes from Food Bank of Wyoming. This is supplemented with grocery rescue items procured through their partnership with the local Safeway (Kroger). Additionally, locally produced food donations provide a “Wyoming flavor” with the assistance of Pushroot Community Garden and the Central Wyoming College Alpine Science Institute.
With these partnerships, Lander Care & Share can provide wholesome, nutritious food to around 1,500 individuals each month, serving people from across Fremont County and beyond. Depending heavily on a solid group of dedicated volunteers and board members, this team believes in its mission to provide food to people in need regardless of income. |
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Insights on Food Date Codes & Food Waste
Food date codes are confusing and may lead to food waste. Here’s some information to share with your staff, volunteers, and clients to reduce waste.
Best If Used By/Before: This is a quality assurance date that serves as a suggestion for when the taste and quality of food are at their peak. It is not a purchase or safety date.
Use By: This is the suggested date by which the food item should be consumed. If food is a day or two past the use-by date, evaluate the quality of the food before consuming it. It is not a safety date except when used on infant formula.
Sell By: This is not a safety date, but rather a date for retailers that helps them determine how long an item should remain on the shelf. According to the Institute of Food Technologists, “one-third of a food’s shelf life remains after the sell-by date for the consumer to use at home.” Freeze By: According to the USDA, this date indicates when a product should be frozen to maintain peak quality. It is not a purchase or safety date.
This Food Date Codes PDF on our Partner Resource page has been created for you to share. If you have questions, please contact helpdesk@wyomingfoodbank.org
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Reading your Agency Receipt
When your order is delivered, you are given an “Agency Receipt” (see below) which shows an itemized account of all products and any delivery charges. Use this to check your delivery and make certain it matches the receipt. This receipt is your only copy, please keep it for your records. - When you have accepted your order, verify it in the following ways:
- Sign Food Bank of Wyoming’s copy of your receipt and return it to the driver/Fresh Food Center staffer
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Scan and email it to helpdesk@wyomingfoodbank.org
- Do not sign the receipt without verifying the accuracy of your order.
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If you are missing items, Food Bank of Wyoming should be contacted immediately. Please notify the Help Desk at 307-265-2172 so your billing statement can be adjusted for the missing items.
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The amount due listed on your receipt will be processed to your account; unless there needs to be an adjustment based on your corrections provided to our driver/Fresh Food Center staffer with your signed receipt.
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Access Multilingual Resources with Link2Feed
Are language barriers a challenge to conducting client intake? Do you lack bilingual staff and volunteers? With Link2Feed, you can access various multilingual resources to support cross-cultural communications. Link2Feed agencies and users can utilize a library of intake and informational documents that support more than 10 languages and an online client registration portal in all languages supported by Google Translate. Also, the upcoming Link2Feed release will provide assistance to respectfully and appropriately gather data from Spanish-speaking clients.
It is also worth noting that our Wyoming staff has been vetted to provide assistance in French, Spanish, and German! Don’t let language be a barrier to clients accessing food! |
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Food Safety & Civil Rights Training Deadline |
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All Food Bank of Wyoming staff, mobile pantry volunteer coordinators, and at least one contact at each of our partner agencies are required to complete the Food Safety and Civil Rights certification courses annually.
Partners who have completed these courses any time after April 1, 2023, you are compliant for this year; thank you. A score of 80% is needed to pass the online test. August 15 is the deadline to complete both trainings.
If you do not receive the activation email for your annual recertification, please contact us at helpdesk@wyomingfoodbank.org. |
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Farm Bill Update
Farmers Feed America Coalition
Food Bank of Wyoming is asking for your help to grow the membership of Farmers Feed America. This coalition of farmers, food companies, food retailers, and anti-hunger organizations is focused on strengthening the partnerships between farmers and food banks. The coalition, launched earlier this year, is calling for a strong 2023 Farm Bill. Please share details about the coalition with your agriculture partners, corporate partners and donors and encourage them to join us by completing this brief form.
Farm Bill Watch
Food Bank of Wyoming continues to engage with our Congressional Delegation to promote our network’s priorities in the Farm Bill! Recently, Executive Director Rachel Bailey met with Senator Barrasso and Lummis to talk about the need for additional TEFAP food items in Wyoming. Check out Feeding America’s Farm Bill Legislation Watch Page, which includes our network’s Farm Bill priorities, fast facts, and an overview of this important legislation.
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New Hire Intro – Shelly Swierkowski, Community Engagement Specialist |
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If you haven’t met Shelly, it’s just a matter of time! (She shared with us that her wildest Wyoming aspiration is to venture out into all of the remote areas of the state.) That’s a big goal for someone who just moved to Wyoming a year ago. Like so many who have moved to Wyoming, Shelly has created her own “Casper Family” from a strong community of friends. These Casperites have surrounded her and her 14-year-old cat, Eleanor (named after Shelly’s favorite aunt) and made this her home.
Eleanor and Shelly enjoy creating homemade greeting cards and channeling Shelly’s “inner old lady” with many other arts and crafts. Even her favorite soul-nourishing meals are old-timey and family-based; nothing makes her happier than her mom's goulash or meatloaf (or dare we say, BOTH at the SAME meal!).
As an avid volunteer herself, Shelly looks forward to connecting Food Bank of Wyoming’s volunteers to the stories, experiences, and needs of our partners across the state. New to food banking, her biggest surprise has been just how complicated, layered, and impactful the Wyoming hunger-relief network is.
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| “The work is so much more than gathering food and giving food out.” |
The strategies behind fundraising, the behind-the-scenes efforts around food distribution programs, and the logistical challenges of food transport are all so much more than she anticipated. But her passion for service is what gets her motivated every day and Shelly looks forward to growing philanthropic support, community engagement, and volunteerism for Food Bank of Wyoming and our Hunger Relief Partners. |
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Help Desk
helpdesk@WyomingFoodBank.org 307-265-2172
The above email address and phone number are monitored by our staff members so that our partner agencies and clients can quickly get the information they need.
Calls made to this number during current office hours (7:00 a.m. ̶ 5:00 p.m.) will go to a Help Desk staffer who will assist you. If we cannot answer your question right away, we will find someone who can. Calls will be monitored to ensure resolution for each caller.
If a call comes in after office hours, the voicemail will be sent via audio recording to the Help Desk email. These emails are also be monitored to ensure fast resolution. |
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Preparing Your Pantry for Fall
We know that you are still in the throes of summer, but now is the perfect time to begin preparing for your community's fall hunger-relief needs. Many of you have back-to-school food distributions that will need to be ordered soon. Take a look at your order deadlines for delivery/pickup and mark your calendars now. This will save you a lot of stress when the calendar begins the fast and frantic pace of late August and September.
Right now is also the perfect time of year to review your fall needs and get a jump on a number of those little things that summer volunteers can help with. Tackling these tasks before school begins can make your hectic fall run more smoothly. Taking care of these tasks now can also prepare you for the food orders you will need to place during August and September to ensure that those staple pantry items are on your shelves. Whether we’re ready or not, Labor Day will be here sooner than we realize!
- Cleaning your pantry, freezer, and fridge.
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With just a few volunteers, you can tackle assessing what's already in your pantry, fridge, and freezer AND clean them at the same time. Tackling one at a time, remove everything inside, put it all on a sorting table or counter, toss anything that's expired, disinfect the shelves, and hone (or begin) your stock rotation master plan. Then start putting everything back inside, category by category. A clear view of your fridge's contents will benefit your organization’s ability to store fresh produce.
- Stock up on food staples.
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Pantry essentials like oats, rice, peanut butter, jelly, quinoa, pasta, jars of marinara, canned meats, lentils, and canned beans/vegetables can serve as the base of many meals, including school lunches. Use your shelf-stable items to get a jump on the fall and take stock of the farmers/gardeners in your area who can supplement your fresh produce during Wyoming's growing season. This is one way to keep a healthy stream of food going out to neighbors while preparing for their fall needs.
- Stick it to the fridge.
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