(Statewide) – First Lady Jennie Gordon’s Wyoming Hunger Initiative in partnership with the Hughes Charitable Foundation hosted a regional summit in Rock Springs recently to bring folks together who are working in the space of food insecurity and to honor volunteers.
Wyoming Hunger Initiative was launched in 2019 with two tenets in mind: one, to never reinvent the wheel, and two, to be in all twenty-three Wyoming counties. There are grassroots efforts in every Wyoming county dedicated to reducing hunger and combating food insecurity. Instead, Wyoming Hunger Initiative aims to increase awareness and support for the work of local anti-hunger organizations statewide.
“Through the relationships that have been developed across the state specific to food insecurity, Wyoming Hunger Initiative has identified partners in every community which has resulted in opportunities to network, share resources, and collaborate” says First Lady Jennie Gordon. “Ultimately, this summit will lead central Wyoming forward together while also producing realistic action items that are already underway.”
The event kicked off with a volunteer recognition celebration where anti-hunger organizations in southwest Wyoming nominated a volunteer from their organization to be recognized. Without the countless volunteers across the county, this work wouldn’t be possible.
The following volunteers were recognized at this event:
- Dave Gilman, Loaves and Fishes Community Soup Kitchen – Rock Springs
- Tom and Patty McCulloch, Society of St. Vincent de Paul – Rawlins
- “All Volunteers”, Food Bank of Sweetwater County – Rock Springs and Green River
- Kelsee Ficker, Wyoming 2-1-1
- Cyndi Kester, Food Ministries at Sinclair Baptist Church – Sinclair
- Christie Grana, Shoshoni Senior Center – Shoshoni
- CCSSI Advisory Council, Carbon County Senior Services, Inc. – Rawlins
- Tristin Francis, Trona Valley Credit Union Foundation – Rock Springs
- Kim Rinker, Pinedale Food Basket – Pinedale
- Frank Maes, Boys & Girls Club of Sweetwater County – Rock Springs
- Linda McMullin, Thayne Food Bank – Thayne
- McKay Erickson, Afton Food Pantry – Afton
- Pat Leidy, Kemmerer Food Bank – Kemmerer
- Boyd Wallentine, Kemmerer Food Bank – Kemmerer
- Charles Burd, Pushroot Community Garden – Lander