On a windless December afternoon in Lyman, Wyoming, a Food Bank of Wyoming truck pulled up to the parking lot of Bridger Valley Baptist Church. A group of about a dozen volunteers were ready, setting up tables and lining them with boxes, ready to begin filling them with dry goods, fruit, vegetables, eggs, bread. The volunteers immediately prepared this mobile pantry, moving the pallets and sorting items to make sure the distribution went smoothly as cars filled with neighbors started to line up to wait for their boxes.
Mobile pantry site coordinators Gaye and Kevin Kearn led the operation. Gaye has a stoic, controlled demeanor, and this was clearly not her first rodeo. She immediately greeted the truck driver with a hug and began directing the volunteers to quickly get plums, bags of lemons and loaves of bread into boxes. The Kearns have been helping people in their community for years. They used to drive to Salt Lake City twice a week to bring donations to Lyman, and began volunteering with Food Bank of Wyoming in 2020. When asked what inspired them to do this work, Kevin didn’t skip a beat and answered, “God. He’s our reason for doing this. The smiles and the ‘thank yous’ keep us going.” Gaye chimed in: “I love helping people. This is for my community.”
One of the volunteers, Paula Hall, was filling boxes and spoke about a time when she was facing food insecurity at Thanksgiving, and needed assistance. Her family received a donation that helped them make ends meet during that difficult time, and the gesture made her want to help out at the Food Bank. “People are just glad to have something to eat, and that’s why I volunteer,” Paula shared.
As volunteers prepared food boxes, a snake of cars was forming around the parking lot and spilling out into the road. The winter sun was golden and cold and even though it was only 4 o’clock, it would be dusk soon. First in line was Tim who was picking up boxes for older adults in the area who were unable to come on their own. He also collected a box for himself. “It’s really good food,” he shared, adding that his friends and family come to his house and he likes to share what he has. “I just help out whoever I can. Everybody I deliver to is just so happy when I bring the food.”
Many older adults in the Lyman area and across Wyoming are currently struggling financially, and Tim said the boxes are a lifeline for the majority of them, including himself.
Behind Tim in a huge truck covered with stickers was Kenny, who sported denim overalls and hot pink sunglasses, and his mother and a neighbor. This was Kenny’s third time coming to the mobile pantry. He shared that he always has positive experiences. In addition to receiving food for himself, he also picks up food to share with his neighbors.”
“Every little bit helps, especially in this day and age. Everything’s just upside down crazy right now,” Kenny said. “Food and everything is out of sight at the store.” He added that he especially enjoys the canned goods and bread he receives. He also appreciates the fresh produce, and joked about the last time he got strawberries. “They froze because of the cold, but you’ll have that in Wyoming,” he quipped.
Harley, 31, works part-time at a hotel and lives on her own in Fort Bridger. She has some dietary restrictions, so the food she can’t eat she trades with another pantry goer. Harley said she loved the kiwis she received at the previous month’s mobile pantry, and shared that she had eaten the last one that very morning.
Twenty-two-year-old Jaylyn from Homestead was also in line waiting for a food box. She recently bought a trailer home to fix up and shared that she works as a housekeeper at Little America, adding that her hours were recently reduced.
A regular who comes to the mobile pantry every month, Jaylyn shared, “The food helps, especially in the tough times. And I like the surprise — we don’t know what we are getting each month.”
As Rebecca, a volunteer, put a box in Trisha’s SUV, Trisha accidentally pushed the button that lowered the trunk door, resulting in a bit of hilarity. Laughing, Trisha got out of the car to hug Rebecca, who, like most of the volunteers at the mobile pantry, is her friend.
“We’ve had a hard life,” Trisha shared, her eyes welling up with tears, “I have a daughter that is struggling. I have an elderly friend who struggles. And so, I utilize the Food Bank and it helps us out immensely.”
