(Lander, WY) – First Lady Jennie Gordon’s Wyoming Hunger Initiative, in partnership with Wyoming 4-H and FFA, piloted a new program under the Food from the Farm + Ranch banner called Fair to Fork in 2021.
Thanks to a grant from the Hughes Charitable Foundation, Wyoming Hunger Initiative was able to purchase and process 21 hogs in 2024 and distribute them locally as yet another avenue of providing protein to local communities.
The program utilizes a lottery system to select youth for participation. In 2024, 21 youth from 21 Wyoming counties participated this year which equates to over 2,500 pounds of pork distributed into local communities—22 anti-hunger agencies in all received pork from the program, all while supporting youth development and participation in sustainable agricultural solutions to hunger.
Carsen Simon of Lander donated his pig recently to the Hudson Food Pantry but was recognized at his school by First Lady Jennie Gordon for his contribution.
“Fresh food and sources of high-quality protein are notoriously expensive and difficult to procure for the food bank system,” says First Lady Jennie Gordon. “Being a producer myself, my initial vision for Wyoming Hunger Initiative was to encompass a component of agriculture that would be part of the solution to food insecurity in our state. Fair to Fork is another way to execute that vision while encouraging Wyoming’s youth to get involved.”
The ultimate goal of Food from the Farm + Ranch is to utilize Wyoming products to combat food insecurity. This collaboration exemplifies the partnership between related industries committed to utilizing Wyoming products to care for Wyoming people. This program is made possible due to a partnership between Wyoming Hunger Initiative, University of Wyoming Extension, the Wyoming FFA Association, and the Hughes Charitable Foundation.
The Wyoming Hunger Initiative is the official initiative of Wyoming’s First Lady Jennie Gordon and is governed by the Board of Directors of the Wyoming Governor’s Residence Foundation, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Click here to learn more about Wyoming Hunger Initiative.