The Cody food pantry Mannahouse is facing some tough challenges amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“... We are running out of food,” Mannahouse President Charlie Jones told Park County commissioners on Tuesday.

Jones said the nonprofit organization has generally relied on donations of food from local businesses, but it’s now needing to purchase food from stores and other suppliers, like the Food Bank of the Rockies. Group leaders are also seeking donations.

“We have found in the last 60 days the demand for food has gone up dramatically,” Jones said. At the same time, “food donations, unfortunately, have decreased dramatically from Walmart and Albertsons,” he said, “because people are buying more from the stores.”

He added that the stores give the pantry “a lot” of food.

Jones said the food pantry typically serves an average of 50 families in the winter months and more than 100 families in the spring and summer months, including seasonal restaurant and ranch workers. However, “over the last month, we’ve had double the amount of families coming in,” Jones said, with 168 families served last week.

Mannahouse leaders recently ordered $2,000 worth of food from the Food Bank of the Rockies. The Christian organization — staffed by roughly two dozen unpaid volunteers — has an annual budget of around $15,000. Last year, it reportedly provided 117,409 meals in Park County. The county commission typically provides about $8,500 a year to Mannahouse, among roughly $355,000 worth of support it provides to local nonprofits and other outside organizations each year.

Commissioners have warned that a tight budget may lead the county to cut its support of local nonprofits. Before making any alterations, however, commissioners have been hearing from each of the groups they support. That’s what brought Jones to Tuesday’s meeting.

“The COVID-19 virus and subsequent shutdown of our economy has had a dramatic impact on our county and our organization,” he told the commission in closing. “We would greatly appreciate any additional funding that you can give us.”

For more information about Mannahouse, or to make a donation, e-mail mannahousecody@gmail.com or call 307-529-2021. Donations can also be mailed to P.O. Box 1834 Cody, WY 82414.

Mannahouse distributes food every Wednesday, from 3:30-5:30 p.m., at 2342 Mountain View Drive in Cody.

Meanwhile, Powell Valley Loaves and Fishes — which does not receive support from the county government — has also been seeking additional donations. Demand at the Powell food pantry has remained steady during the pandemic, serving 87 families and 299 individuals in March, but one of its largest food drives, Stamp Out Hunger, has been put on hold this spring.

Monetary donations can be mailed to Loaves and Fishes at P.O. Box 992, Powell, WY 82435.

(This version removes an outdated phone number for Mannahouse.)