skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Food Bank "Leans In" to Meet Growing Demand Across WY

play audio
Play

Friday, November 27, 2020   

EVANSVILLE, Wyo. -- Food banks in Wyoming and across the nation are seeing unprecedented demand in the wake of economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.

Tony Woodell, director of the Wyoming Food Bank of the Rockies, said they're delivering up to 80% more food each month over previous years.

Woodell noted the challenge - which is projected to last at least another 18 months, even after a vaccine is widely available - is a lot like facing a strong Wyoming headwind.

"You have to kind of lean into it, to get through it," Woodell explained. "And the Wyoming Food Bank of the Rockies is leaning in to get through the wind, and we're counting on our partners to lean in with us as we get through this."

Woodell confirmed one in six Wyoming residents does not know where his or her next meal is coming from.

In previous years, Woodell encouraged people to come out and volunteer, but for health and safety reasons, he emphasized financial support is the most effective way for people in the Cowboy State to help their struggling neighbors.

Thanks to the food bank's buying power, each dollar donated can provide four meals.

Woodell said in addition to securing enough food to meet the demand, the big challenge in Wyoming is the need is spread out across vast distances. He added the lion's share of clients since March lost their jobs through no fault of their own, and many have never had to ask for help in the past.

"That tells the story of exactly what's going on throughout the United States and Wyoming," Woodell observed. "We're reaching out to those families and offering them a safety net of sorts, so they can get back up on their feet, and not rely upon government assistance."

Wyoming Food Bank of the Rockies works with 170 partners across the state, including local churches and larger outfits such as the Salvation Army, to get food to struggling families.

The food bank has also launched a drive-through mobile pantry, where families can safely pick up food boxes packed with a week's worth of items including canned goods, fresh fruits and vegetables, and dairy.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

Social Issues

play sound

A 2023 study from the University of Nebraska Medical Center concluded the number of Nebraskans with a mental health or substance abuse disorder has pr…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021