(Riverton, WY) – More than 15 percent of people in Fremont County rely on food provided by members of the Food Bank of Wyoming each year, according to a proclamation Riverton Mayor Tim Hancock read this week recognizing September 2025 as Hunger Action Month in town.
The local total includes about 2,200 children, Food Bank of Wyoming Community Engagement Specialist Jenna Noelle said during a Riverton City Council meeting Tuesday.
“That means families in our own neighborhoods are making impossible choices between food, rent, utilities, and other basic needs,” Noelle told the council.
In 2024, Noelle said Food Bank members distributed 1.2 million pounds of food across Fremont County.
“But we can’t do it alone,” she said. “Proclamations like this one remind us that hunger is not just a statistic. It’s a community issue, and it takes all of us working together – nonprofits, businesses, civic leaders, and neighbors.
“By standing together tonight, you’re helping to break the stigma around hunger, and showing families that their community cares.”
The Hunger Action Month proclamation indicates that more than 90,000 people in Wyoming – nearly 27,000 of whom are children – struggle to meet their basic nutritional needs and don’t know where their next meal will come from.
The Food Bank of Wyoming partners with more than 150 pantries and mobile sites statewide – including multiple programs in Riverton – to make sure nutritious food reaches those individuals “who need it most,” Noelle said.
In 2024, the Food Bank of Wyoming distributed more than 10 million meals to more than 55,000 Wyoming families through its network of food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, and other community organizations, according to the proclamation.
“That’s phenomenal,” Hancock said, thanking the Food Bank representatives for “trying to draw attention to some of the needs in our community.”
“(These are) sobering statistics – important things to know. … As a community, being more aware of the needs of individuals who are here is essential.”
The proclamation says the City of Riverton is committed to working with the Food Bank of Wyoming to educate people about the role and importance of food banks in addressing hunger and raising awareness of the need to devote more resources and attention to hunger issues.
“The month of September has been designated ‘Hunger Action Month’ in order to bring attention to food insecurity in our communities and to enlist the public in the movement to end hunger by taking action – including volunteer shifts, social media shares, and donations – to ensure every community, and everybody in it, has the food they need to thrive,” the proclamation states. “(We) encourage all citizens of Riverton to increase their understanding and awareness of food insecurity and how it impacts our nation, state, and communities.”
More than 47 million Americans suffer from hunger or food insecurity nationwide, according to the proclamation.
“Every September … food banks across the country recognize Hunger Action Month (as) a time to bring awareness to the issue of hunger and inspire action in our communities,” Noelle said. “On behalf of our team, volunteers, and partners, thank you for helping shine a light on hunger during hunger action month, and for being part of the solution.”