CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Around 86,000 Wyoming residents are food insecure. That’s according to first lady Jennie Gordon, who has been hard at work coordinating with donors and agricultural producers statewide to address hunger in Wyoming. One program may have a solution: distribute high-quality, local beef to Wyoming youth.
Gordon held a conference at the Governor’s Residence on Tuesday to discuss the widespread problem of food insecurity in Wyoming. The first lady, who runs the Wyoming Hunger Initiative, praised the contributions of organization partners and ranchers who have generously donated sources of protein to Gordon’s nutrition program “Beef for Backpacks,” which coordinates with weekend food programs statewide to distribute locally sourced protein to youth.
“We don’t reinvent the wheel. We highlight the work of these local organizations and provide support for continued success,” Gordon said.
The nonprofit food network Feeding America says one out of seven people in Wyoming faces food insecurity. This statistic is more dire for children, however, as one in five kids is food insecure. Feeding America defines food insecurity as when “people don’t have enough to eat and don’t know where their next meal will come from.”
In 2019, Jennie Gordon launched the Wyoming Hunger Initiative within the Wyoming Governors Residence Foundation. The nonprofit organization aims to end hunger in the Cowboy State. Gordon has since launched the “Beef for Backpacks” program in partnership with the Wyoming Stock Growers Association, Wyoming Beef Council and 307 Meat Company. Following a pilot program in 2020, “Beef for Backpacks” was launched statewide in 2023, Gordon said. Nearly 5,500 children are served beef sticks as part of the food bag programs each week. Wyoming students received more than 270,000 beef sticks during the 2023–24 school year.
The Gillette-based weekend food program Blessings in a Backpack participates with the Wyoming Hunger Initiative’s beef program. The foundation serves 1,300 Campbell County youths with weekend nutrition annually. Residents can help the program through donations or fundraising. To contact the program, click here.
“Weekend food bag programs provide meals for students, some of whom receive most of their meals in school and may not have enough resources when they get home for those long 48 hours before they return to school,” the First Lady of Wyoming said. “Good quality protein is essential for healthy growth and development of our youngsters.”
The first lady recognizes that although protein is an essential source of healthy nutrition, it is notoriously expensive. Local hunger relief organizations also have a difficult time procuring healthy sources of protein. Beef for Backpacks aims to address this issue.
“This program is impossible, though, without the donation of beef,” Gordon said. “And I cannot say enough about the ranchers who step up to make this program possible.”
Food insecurity is created by a myriad of factors, including poverty, lack of affordable housing, health complications, racism and discrimination. Poor access to healthy food results in reduced physical and mental health, general wellbeing and performance in school and work.
Anyone living with food insecurity in Laramie County can access a bevy of community services offering food relief here. Among the services in the list are Wyoming 211, the Women, Infants and Children Program, or WIC, and various mental health services.
The following food relief programs and initiatives operate in the Gillette area:
- Blessings in a Backpack, 1000 Comanche Ave.
- Boys & Girls Club of Campbell County, 410 Lakeside Drive
- Campbell County Senior Citizens Association Inc., 701 Stocktrail Ave.
- Centsible Nutrition, Campbell County, 412 S. Gillette Ave.
- Council of Community Services, 114 S. 4-J Road
- Edible Prairie Project, 410 E. Lakeside Drive
- Salvation Army, 620 N. Highway 14/16
- Wright Community Assistance, 265 Rochelle Drive, Wright
