(Lander, WY) – The Lander Christmas Baskets Committee, the Lander Elks Lodge B.P.O.E. #2317, the Holy Rosary Catholic Church, the Lander Community Foundation, and various youth groups and volunteers once again teamed up this year for the 2025 Christmas Basket Program.
The combined group effort resulted in 300 Christmas baskets and 300 turkeys being distributed on Sunday, December 21, in addition to a literal truckload of toys.
Chairman of the Basket committee Deanna Trumble told County 10 that a bulk of the funding for the project was once again raised during the Lander Community Foundation’s annual Challenge for Charities fundraiser, in addition to donations from other contributors. The Elks paid for the turkeys themselves, in addition to the countless volunteer hours of preparing the baskets and wrapping the gifts.
“We’re very grateful for all the community that comes together and helps to put it together, too, because it’s not just one person or one organization; we work together,” Trumble commented, adding that new this year were seasonings/spices donated by the Yellowstone Spice Company to add to the baskets.
Folks from the Gabriel Project of Wyoming were also on-scene to give out diapers to those in need.
“It is amazing. Just the people who donate, the people who come up and give their time to unpack the pallets of food, and the groups that come together to put these baskets all together.”
h/t Vince Tropea, County 10