CASPER, Wyo. — The Food Bank of Wyoming is looking ahead to 2025 and, with that, it’s identifying ways to amplify its programs and initiatives with the goal of ensuring that nobody in Wyoming goes hungry.

That’s according to a release from the nonprofit, which stated that it has a multi-pronged approach designed to offer accessible, nutritious food throughout the state.

According to the release, in 2024, the Food Bank of Wyoming distributed over 12 million pounds of food across all 23 counties in Wyoming. The Food Bank of Wyoming states it “plans to efficiently and effectively support communities in 2025.”

It’s going to do that in a variety of ways, including expanding the FRESH Express Route.

The FRESH Express Route was created in 2023 and delivers fresh produce to more than 50 Hunger Relief Partners. This year, the Food Bank aims to expand the route to include southeastern Wyoming.

“The FRESH Express Route has significantly increased access to nutritious food for communities across the state, providing more than 828,000 pounds of fresh produce since it launched!” said Director of Operations Richard Plumlee. “This year, we are focused on optimizing route delivery to improve efficiency and sustainability to support our Hunger Relief Partners and ensure Wyoming families have consistent access to fresh produce.”

The organization also plans to increase food rescue and partnerships with local growers.

The release states that the Food Rescue Team is exploring new ways to reduce food waste, as well as reclaim surplus food from retail stores. It also wants to create and develop relationships with Wyoming farmers and ranchers, in order to provide Wyoming-grown produce to people all across the state. It also wants to strengthen relationships with producers who participated in the Local Food Purchasing Agreement program last year.

“Our goal for 2025 is to increase our donations across the state while decreasing overall food waste,” said Food Sourcing Manager Odessa Oldham. “To help meet this goal, we are focusing on building relationships with local food and grocery retailers and sharing with them the impact their food donations have on neighbors seeking food assistance.”

Additionally, the Food Bank of Wyoming wants to strengthen food access in Tribal communities. As a partner with food banks in South Dakota, North Dakota and Montana, the Food Bank of Wyoming is part of the 104° West Collaborative, which was designed to support Tribal-led initiatives in order to improve food access in Tribal communities across the four states.

“The Collaborative also plans to establish a shared fund to support innovative, community-led food access projects,” the release stated. “One such project is the Sweetgrass Food Lodges, developed by tribal community leaders in partnership with the Food Bank, and designed to bring tribal solutions to tribal communities.”

The Food Bank of Wyoming can’t do it by itself, though — it needs the help of community partners.

“Food Bank of Wyoming relies on the generosity of our community to support day-to-day operations — from sourcing and purchasing food to distributing it through Hunger Relief Partners and programs such as mobile pantries, Food for Kids partners, and Evergreen Boxes™ for older adults,” the release stated.

Individuals who want to get involved with the Food Bank of Wyoming can volunteer at the Casper distribution center or with Food Bank of Wyoming partners around the state. Individuals can also make a donation, whether it’s a one-time decision or a recurring donation. Those interested can sign up to volunteer at this website.

The Tate Geological Museum Casper Wyoming

The Tate Geological Museum was founded in 1980 through a gift from Marion and Inez Tate. It was originally designated as the Tate Earth Science Center and Mineralogical Museum. Because ‘geological’ encompasses earth science, mineralogy, and paleontology, the name was changed to the Tate Geological Museum in 2001.

Located on the Casper College campus, the museum is a great resource for the community. Many local schools and groups come to the museum to add to their student's learning experience.

Tate houses a collection of over 6000 fossil and mineral specimens.

Gallery Credit: Glenn Woods

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