September 2023

September is Hunger Action Month^®!

September is Hunger Action Month^®, an annual nationwide awareness campaign designed to inspire everyone to take action to end hunger. In Wyoming, 11% of our population suffers from food insecurity and that number might be higher with the rising cost of food and fuel prices. Food inflation impacts all of our efforts to feed neighbors. Food costs have increased an average of 11% for consumers in 2022 (20 years earlier, it averaged 2%). In 2023, the forecast for food inflation is less than the prior year, but it will not be back to 2% any time soon.

Food Bank of Wyoming encourages all of our partners to take this opportunity to build community by elevating and enhancing your agency's presence, impact, and participation. By raising awareness around the anti-hunger movement, your team will see more volunteers, more advocates, and more supporters.

Here are a few ways to leverage Hunger Action Month^® for your agency, increase the awareness of hunger in your community, and enhance the volunteer opportunities at your pantry:

- Schedule an interview with your local radio or newspaper
- Host a day to call and thank all of your volunteers or donors
- Invite local or state government officials to tour your facility
- Share social media posts about Hunger Action Month^®

Thanks to you and your efforts we can together take action to highlight the reality of food insecurity in Wyoming and ensure the needs of our neighbors are met.

Important Dates

August 20 Updated truck routes for fall/winter emailed

September 4 Labor Day; Food Bank of Wyoming closed

September 29 Warehouse will close at noon for staff training

September 29 Mobile Pantry Coordinator Meeting

Agency Express Hack

The HelpDesk Team knows that stocking your shelves can feel challenging, so why not stretch your budget by picking free items to provide to your neighbors experiencing hunger? Here’s a quick review of the best way to see all our available FREE items on Partner Express.

In our Shopping List, you will see a column labeled "Unit Price." By clicking the hyperlinked words "Unit Price," all items will be sorted in price order, causing our items with a $0.00 Unit Price to rise to the top of the list.

This tactic can also be used within certain categories. For example, if you search for “Snacks” under the “Category” search bar, you will see all available dairy items. By clicking “Unit Price,” all available dairy items with a $0.00 Unit Price will rise to the top of the list.

Should you have any questions, or want an Agency Express Training- Refresh for you and/or your team, please reach out to helpdesk@wyomingfoodbank.org

Info on the Go – Food Insecurity in Wyoming

When preparing for a grant, data is sometimes the most important component. If your team is looking for food insecurity statistics, please use the following information.

1 in 8 kids in Wyoming experience food insecurity

1 in 9 people in Wyoming experience food insecurity

This data is from the most recent Feeding America Map the Meal Gap information.

YMCA of Natrona County Client – Cari

Among the 20 or so people waiting for the pantry to open at the YMCA of Natrona County are Cari and her two young kids. Cari is a swimming instructor at the YMCA and started picking up food from this site earlier this year.

“We’re on a tight budget, mostly relying on my husband’s income,” Cari shared. “The food we get here covers the weeks when we’re low on food. We especially love the fresh fruits and vegetables. They’re so expensive in the store and my kids love to eat fruit and veggies. It really helps with the budget and snack time.”

New Faces or Places at your Agency?

If you have any personnel/shopper changes at your organization, please share that info with us. Additionally, if you have updated delivery, mailing or other contact information, this Partner Agency Update Form will keep us all on target.

Reading a Food Bank of Wyoming Truck Route Sheet

Every organization should have received an email with your updated Delivery Schedule. Each email had an attached PDF of your route(s). The HelpDesk recommends that you save that PDF to your desktop so that you can reference it as needed. These will be updated on our website for your reference as well.

How do you know if you are looking at the right truck route for your organization? For your current order? Here are a few ways to check:

Inclement Road/Weather Closures!

As we move into the fall and winter seasons, please be aware that Food Bank of Wyoming may make closure determinations. We will post our facility closure information on our website, social media, and phone messaging system. Please refer to the following guidelines for pick-ups and deliveries:

For Scheduled Fresh Food Center Pick-Ups: Day of Closure

- Partners will be contacted for rescheduling opportunities

For Scheduled Deliveries: Office/Road Closures

- HelpDesk will contact partners about a canceled delivery
- Deliveries will be rescheduled as soon as weather and logistics schedules permit, as determined by the Logistics Team
- Food Bank of Wyoming's HelpDesk will communicate with affected partners

Please ensure that the necessary accommodations are in place for volunteers and clients to remain safe and warm.

How You Can Help Keep the Food Moving

Our drivers can only pick up pallets that are stacked correctly. A few moments of preparation by your team will help our drivers get to their next delivery location safely and on time.

Meet Rebecca Travers, Programs Project Manager

Born and raised across the beautiful state of Wyoming, Rebecca joined the team at Food Bank of Wyoming in May 2023. Growing up here has given her a deep appreciation for the rich landscapes and incredible people who call Wyoming home. She has resided in Casper for over 26 years.

Rebecca has always been passionate about working with people to build stronger, healthier communities, so the world of nonprofit work has always been appealing to her. Since joining the programs team as the Programs Project Manager, Rebecca has had a chance to learn all aspects of food banking and is currently supporting our TEFAP community partners with monthly allocations. She has also been managing mobile pantry entries. Her focus will shift in the coming months as she begins work on a statewide assessment to learn more about barriers to food access and the ways that Food Bank

of Wyoming can support communities to ensure that all of our neighbors experiencing food insecurity have nutritious food to eat.

In her free time, Rebecca enjoys hanging out with friends, spending time outdoors, gardening, and live music. She loves cool earrings, road trips, art, good coffee, and plants.

Neighbors Are Always Served at No Charge

As the price of food and other essential goods continues to rise due to inflation, we want to remind our Hunger Relief Partners that donations of time or money cannot be required for families to receive food from you.

To remain aligned with Feeding America regulations, the following practices are not allowed:

Requiring donations, volunteer time, or clients' participation in a religious service to receive food
Using the food you receive from Food Bank of Wyoming for personal or general use at your facility, church, or fundraising purposes

Please contact our HelpDesk Team if you have questions: helpdesk@wyomingfoodbank.org.

Could You Pass the Safe Lunch Packing Test?

A nourishing meal is more than selecting nutritious foods; it also includes safe food handling from the moment it’s being prepared. The USDA has four tips to get an easy A+ in food safety this school year.

Clean

A study on food preparation showed that only 44% of participants attempted to wash their hands before meal preparation, a failing grade no matter how you look at it. Even fewer (3%) washed their hands properly. These practices can help prevent cross-contamination when preparing school lunches. Follow these steps to earn an A+:

- Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold), turn off the tap, and apply soap.
- Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap.
- Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds.
- Rinse your hands well under clean, running water.
- Dry your hands using a clean towel.

Separate

The kitchen can be a playground for bacteria. To avoid cross-contamination, separate raw foods from ready-to-eat foods. Don't use the same cutting board for raw foods and foods like fruits and vegetables. If you are only using one cutting board, wash it in hot soapy water, sanitize, rinse, and air, or pat dry with a clean paper towel between uses.

Cook

Cooking enough meat or poultry to use later in school lunches is a great time saver. But never rely on the color or texture to know if it is safe to consume. The only safe way to tell if it has been cooked to a safe minimum internal temperature is by using a food thermometer.

Chill

Never leave food out of refrigeration for more than two hours. Bacteria can double in number in 20 minutes. If you are cooking more than you will pack, make sure to store your leftovers safely in sealed containers or airtight packaging. If needed, cut food into smaller pieces or divide large amounts of food into shallow containers to allow food to cool rapidly. Leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days or can remain safe indefinitely when frozen.

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