The temperature soared to 98 degrees as volunteers at the Worland Mobile Pantry, one of the many mobile pantries hosted by Food Bank of Wyoming across the state monthly, prepared boxes of food to hand out to neighbors at the Washakie County fairgrounds. That didn’t slow them down, though, as they loaded up the boxes with nourishing fresh and shelf-stable items for community members lining up in their cars more than an hour before the distribution officially began.
Caroline Gentzler (above left), the lead volunteer coordinator for the Worland Mobile Pantry, directed the effort while also packing boxes. She called it a “great day” as she listed some of the items being distributed: bell peppers, eggs, bananas, kiwis, tomatoes, nectarines, potato chips, canned soup, and more. The distribution, which serves not only Worland residents but also people from Thermopolis, Basin, and surrounding areas, was prepared to serve 326 households. Volunteer Doug Morrison (above right) calculated how much of every item, all sourced from Food Bank of Wyoming, went into each box.
Michelle (pictured above) was in line at the Worland Mobile Pantry. At home, Michelle and her husband are caretakers for five kids, ranging in age from 2 to 17 years old. They became legal guardians of two of the kids, taking them in after the kids were found to be living in conditions with very little food and no running water. The 2-year-old has a heart condition, and has undergone surgery, so Michelle is a stay-at-home mom.
“This food helps in an immense amount of ways,” Michelle said. “Whatever we don’t eat, we share with anyone we know who needs it.”
Tina (pictured above) is a widow and comes to the Worland mobile pantry distribution. She shared that the food supplements her income and said her favorite thing to find in the boxes is fruit.
Friends Deb and Linda (pictured left to right above) made an afternoon out of their trip to receive food boxes. Deb is retired and shared that the Social Security money she depends on is tight. She finds groceries to be very expensive and tries to avoid going to the local grocery store as much as possible to stretch her budget.
“We are always happy with the boxes, and there is never anything that we don’t use,” Deb shared. “If there’s something we can’t use, we give it to someone else.”
Volunteer Elder immediately recognized another neighbor, Melodie (pictured above), and rushed over to her with a bunch of bananas, her favorite.
Melodie has a disability and is enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps) and said the food she receives from Food Bank of Wyoming helps supplement her diet and her income. She added that she loves all the volunteers at the distribution and that her favorite things to receive, besides bananas, are eggs, which she fries, devils, boils, and cooks with.
In a car with the windows rolled down and the heat pouring in, nursing assistant Lilian (pictured below left) pulled forward to get her box. “I have too many bills and not enough money to buy food,” she shared, adding that groceries are very expensive. While she’d like to buy nutrient-rich food like strawberries, more often than not it’s the less nutritious food that is affordable. “The Food Bank is the only place I am able to get strawberries,” said Lilian. “Even in families where two people are working, sometimes it’s just not enough.”
Pete, 88 (pictured above right), is a veteran and got a ride to the Food Bank distribution from his neighbor, oil worker Tommy. He came to get food after recently being in the hospital.
Kalea (above) is a stay-at-home mom and married to a fire-fighter. “The boxes can make a huge difference for my family,” she said. “The veggies and staples help us get through the week. Rice and the canned and fresh vegetables are my favorite. Kalea’s family also likes trying new snacks. “I’ve never lived in a place that has these kinds of distributions that are so widely available and judgement free, so that is really nice,” said Kalea.
Kim and her kids, Kyah and Jayden (above), are currently getting back on their feet after Kim’s husband and the kids’ father passed away from cancer last year. Kim shared that she only gets paid once a month, so the box of food helps tide them over between paychecks. Jayden said his favorite thing to find in the boxes are eggs, while Kim said she especially likes the fruit.
“We have a large family and grocery prices continue to go up and up and up and incomes don’t,” said Judy (above), a stay-at-home mom who attended the Worland Mobile Patry with four of her children. She shared that they are only able to afford items at the grocery store that are on sale, so her kids get really excited to see what is in the boxes. “The kids love the fresh fruit, and the eggs are fabulous because they can be used for so many things,” Judy shared. “I am so appreciative of everyone volunteering and who donates, because everybody needs to eat, and it’s nice to eat not just whatever is on sale, but also some fun things, too.”
