Mobile Pantry Coordinators’ Collaboration & Recognition Event |
Networking, discussing challenges and solutions, and enhancing leadership skills. |
On the last Friday of September, a beautiful autumn day in Wyoming, mobile pantry coordinators and their volunteer teams arrived from across the state at Food Bank of Wyoming's distribution center to network, share, and help direct the future development of the Mobile Pantry Program.
The need for hunger relief isn't always conveniently located, which is why Food Bank of Wyoming facilitates 19 mobile pantries to bring food directly to communities where it is needed most. Serving rural neighborhoods throughout Wyoming, mobile pantries operate free of cost to Hunger Relief Partners and clients. This program takes a lot more coordination and effort than setting up tables and handing out food. Just ask any of these dedicated volunteers!
Elizabeth Ridgeway, Newcastle Mobile Pantry coordinator, was the first to arrive. Soon, others arrived and began chatting. Most of these dedicated community nourishers have never met before but will leave as friends.
Rachel Bailey, Food Bank of Wyoming’s executive director, welcomed the group to our campus. Myriam Wolcott, Food Bank of Wyoming’s programs manager, led a tour of our two buildings and outlined the behind-the-scenes efforts to get the food boxes prepared and sent to each location. There were ice-breakers; focused time to share “why” experiences; lunch from Great Harvest Bread; sessions on community engagement, leadership, storytelling, and volunteer management; and well-deserved recognition for each of our coordinators.
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Important Dates October 9 Indigenous People's Day
October 24 Food Bank of Wyoming closes at noon for a staff meeting October 31 Halloween November 5 Daylight Savings Time ends November 7 Election Day
Contact us with any questions at: helpdesk@wyomingfoodbank.org.
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A Mobile Pantry Story
A recent drive to Rock River from Casper was stunning as the Shirley Basin showed off with dark skies illuminating white windmills. Upon arrival at the Rock River fire station, dozens of vehicles were already lined up for Food Bank of Wyoming’s mobile pantry. Sylvia Parvin has lived in Rock River for five decades and has worn many hats over the years. On this day, Sylvia was doing essential work at the mobile pantry organizing volunteers and making sure distribution went off without a hiccup. She also provided emotional support and friendship, often offering hugs and kind words while holding tightly to her clipboard.
Parvin described Rock River as “country living with city water and sewer.” The population of about 250 is made up mostly of ranchers and an aging population. “Most people are retired and on fixed incomes. There’s also a lot of young families, and it’s just tough with kids and budgets the way they are,” she explained, adding that they serve about 100 families at the mobile pantry. “I think we’re fulfilling most of the needs at this time,” Parvin continued.
Food Bank of Wyoming was joined by BluEarth Renewables and Clearway to volunteer at the Rock River Mobile Pantry. With new wind projects on the horizon, the companies expressed a desire to be a meaningful part of the community and support the Rock River Mobile Pantry. As the distribution began, bright smiles were exchanged as cars were loaded with food boxes and fresh produce. |
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Autumn Tips for Clients & Staff! As we move into the colder fall and winter seasons, please be aware that Food Bank of Wyoming may make closure determinations. We will post closure information on our website, social media, and phone messaging system. Please ensure that accommodations are in place for volunteers and clients to remain safe and warm while attending a distribution. |
| We have these tips for fall/winter distributions: -
Assess your organization’s ability to serve clients indoors
- A drive-through model can help accommodate more neighbors
- Provide hand sanitizer and masks for those who want them
- Clean and sanitize surfaces often
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Set occupancy limits (i.e., one person per household)
- And take care of yourself both physically and mentally!
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Partner Payment Best Practices |
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Cathy Stepp is the entire Finance team. |
Born and raised in Casper, Cathy began bookkeeping for the family business in junior high. With a degree in education from Colorado State University, she returned to Casper in 2012 and joined the Food Bank of Wyoming team in 2020. Cathy is an avid Star Wars geek, a die-hard Colorado Avalanche hockey fan, and fiercely proud of her Irish heritage, all of which is demonstrated in her office décor! An active member of the Five Trails Rotary Club and a graduate of Leadership Casper, Cathy is working toward a degree in accounting in her spare time. |
| As you can imagine, she is rarely without a coffee in hand and always has chocolate to share!
Here are a few of Cathy's recommended best practices for managing account balances and ensuring accounting accuracy for your books and our reporting: - Pay from the monthly statement balance that is sent on the 20th of the following month.
- You can also pay directly from your Agency Receipts when they arrive.
If you have any questions about your statement or account balance, just reach out to the HelpDesk. But if you have coffee shop recommendations for your part of Wyoming, reach out to Cathy directly! |
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Reading your Agency Receipt |
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When you receive your order, you are given an "Agency Receipt" (see below) that shows an itemized account of all products and any delivery charges. Use this document to confirm that your delivery matches the receipt. This receipt is your only copy, please keep it for your records. The amount due listed on your receipt will be processed to your account unless an adjustment based on your corrections provided to our driver/Fresh Food Center staffer is needed. |
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Truck-Route Updates Online The HelpDesk Team has emailed out all updated truck routes. If you didn’t see yours, please check your junk email box. If you can’t find the email with the attached PDFs for your routes, they are all available on our website at on the Partner Portal Page. |
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Helping Neighbors Find Food Resources
The Find Food Page on Food Bank of Wyoming's website is designed to be the most comprehensive list of pantries and meal programs for neighbors to identify available resources in their area. Thousands of neighbors across our service area rely on this page to direct them to the right location, determine pick-up times, and review eligibility requirements. Yet, this information is only as accurate as the information we receive from partners.
Please verify that your agency’s information listed is correct. If you would like to change your listing or do not see your program listed, please fill out this form and email it to helpdesk@wyomingfoodbank.org. We will ensure that your information is updated or added.
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Some Pictures are Worth a Thousand Words
Sometimes a description doesn’t provide the full picture of an item you want to order. Did you know that you can see a picture of some of the items on Partner Express? Click on the item number, then click on the camera icon! The image may not be an actual photo of the item; rather, the image is meant to give you an idea of what the item will look like. |
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*Reminder*
Thanksgiving is just around the corner! Are your shelves stocked?
Watch Agency Express for these Holiday Favorites: Potatoes, Gravy, Cranberry Sauce, Green Beans, Sweet Potatoes |
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Shopper Timeline Best Practices!
Providing the most up-to-date inventory and fresh items via delivery to our Hunger Relief Partners is a top priority for Food Bank of Wyoming. Our HelpDesk team recommends checking the order deadline for your delivery/pick-up date and making certain to submit your order by 2:00 p.m. the day prior to that deadline.
(This is especially important if you have more than one delivery/pick-up date a month.) |
| Nutrition Page Updates!
We know the importance of connecting our neighbors with quality, nutritious foods. But sometimes making meals can be daunting. Your guests can find some easy, nourishing recipes with everyday ingredients on our website.
Supporting the health and hope of our communities involves more than providing food; we also want to provide knowledge. Bookmark our recipe library for recipes using affordable ingredients. |
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Food Bank of Wyoming: Join Our Team
We are currently looking for Wyoming residents who are passionate about supporting our neighbors experiencing food insecurity. Want to do good with good people? Food Bank of Wyoming works daily to ignite the power of community to nourish people facing hunger. If this sounds like the way you would like to spend your day, check out the positions at this link!
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This institution is an equal opportunity provider. |
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