First lady Gordon visits Powell food programs

Posted 6/1/21

Wyoming’s first lady, Jennie Gordon, was in Powell Thursday to see firsthand some of the food programs supported by her office.

Gordon has always been active in food initiatives. She said …

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First lady Gordon visits Powell food programs

Jennie Gordon gets a hands-on demonstration from Don Rushing at Union Presbyterian Church in Powell while packing food for students in the Backpack Blessings program. Gordon and her staff toured food outreach programs in Powell Thursday.
Jennie Gordon gets a hands-on demonstration from Don Rushing at Union Presbyterian Church in Powell while packing food for students in the Backpack Blessings program. Gordon and her staff toured food outreach programs in Powell Thursday.
Tribune photo by Mark Davis
Posted

Wyoming’s first lady, Jennie Gordon, was in Powell Thursday to see firsthand some of the food programs supported by her office.

Gordon has always been active in food initiatives. She said she and her nine siblings were raised by parents who grew up in poverty, with her mother raised in Austria before and during World War II. The family learned not to waste anything and be grateful for everything they had.

When Gordon had the chance as first lady to promote a cause, ending food insecurity —  specifically childhood hunger — was her choice. She launched the Wyoming Hunger Initiative in 2019.

According to the initiative, roughly 71,000 Wyoming residents face food insecurity each year, being occasionally or frequently unable to get enough healthy, nutritious food. As part of its anti-hunger efforts, the initiative supports numerous organizations around the state.

“We want to work with partners on the ground,” Gordon said. “We want to network, learn best practices and share resources.”

Powell Valley Loaves and Fishes and Backpack Blessings are among the organizations the initiative has supported .

    

Backpack Blessings

The first stop was Backpack Blessings, which operates out of the basement of the Union Presbyterian Church, although it is not affiliated with any religion. 

Backpack Blessings was started in 2011 by a single church in Powell, with 20 children reached that first spring. The effort has since grown to serve about 130 students. A board of 10 community members was also formed to handle fundraising, look for grants and donations and work with the program’s volunteers. Several churches are represented on the board, and Backpack Blessings has become a 501(c)3 nonprofit.

It recently received money from the Wyoming Hunger Initiative, used to help set up a website for the organization.

“We’re really tickled about the grant you gave us,” Backpack Blessings board president Sharon Earhart told Gordon.

Earhart went on to outline how the program works — sending food-filled backpacks home with elementary school and Head Start students so they have meals for the weekends. The backpacks include enough food for six meals, two drinks and two snacks, at a cost of about $7 per child.

Gordon leafed through the information packet Earhart gave her until she spotted the theme.

“I love that: Feeding Powell children,” she said. “That’s a very simple mission statement.”

Linda Easum, the treasurer for Backpack Blessings, said the group has been very fortunate to get a Moyer Foundation grant.

“We have been very careful to use the money the community so generously has given us on food,” volunteer coordinator Jackie Hall said. “We have tried to be careful with the money and how we spend it.” 

“We’re blessed that you’re here,” Gordon said.

Marybeth Richardson detailed how the organization’s annual fundraiser, a pie sale, went virtual last year because of the pandemic. Usually the sale raises about $2,500 she said, but in 2020, it brought in $9,000. A different sort of fundraiser is planned for this year: a family fun night at American Dream drive-in, Aug. 12.

The tour then moved down to the basement, and the volunteers demonstrated packing sacks of food for the backpacks.

“I have packed before,” Gordon said. “It’s fun. And then you can have packing races,” she added.

The first lady asked how the children are selected for the program, and Earhart explained that is up to the schools. A volunteer said teachers place the food in each child’s school bag while the class is out at recess, protecting the identity of recipients.

“I think it’s important not to have that stigma,” Gordon said. “And almost every county [in the state] is doing something like this, so it tells you how important it is.” 

    

Loaves and Fishes

The tour then headed to Powell Valley Loaves and Fishes, housed in the Park County Annex, where it met up with volunteers Cindy Balderas and Jim Wysocki. The pantry, which is now more than 30 years old, serves adults and families who are food insecure.

Balderas, who is treasurer of the organization, explained the structure to Gordon.

“We are so fortunate [that the county houses the nonprofit]. We have no utilities, no rent or insurance [to pay],” she said. 

That allows Loaves and Fishes to concentrate on the needs of its clients. Balderas said usage was down a little from the usual 90-120 families it serves per month. Right now, she said, there is more money circulating. She said Cody had seen the same trends at its food pantry, but Balderas thinks it is only temporary.

“... I expect an upswing soon,” she said.

There is no documentation required to receive food assistance, but there is a form to be filled out. Those who are in need are asked to call 307-754-8800 and fill out a referral form, or stop by the Park County Annex.

When packing food, volunteers also include recipes in the sack so families know at least a few ways to use the items.

“It is our goal to make sure people get fed, especially the kids,” Balderas said, adding, “This has been an amazing experience for me.”

Balderas said the Office of the First Lady has supported Loaves and Fishes since the beginning of the pandemic.

“They have been in contact with me throughout. They have been very, very good to keep in contact, to ask what they can do to help, to ask what we need,” Balderas said.

She pointed to Gordon’s executive assistant, Trista Ostrom — a Powell native and 2010 PHS graduate — as one of the reasons there was plenty of food on the shelves.

“Trista is really concerned about her community, and she wanted her [Gordon] to see firsthand what the situation is,” Balderas said.

She said the first lady has funneled gifts and donations, as well as federal funds to not only Loaves and Fishes, but to food pantries all over the state — especially since the pandemic hit. 

“The money that comes in goes back out right away,” Ostrom said. “We know people need it and we want to get it to them.”

Gordon laughed about Ostrom keeping her on schedule. “She makes the whole organization work and makes it run on time.”

“Well,” Ostrom replied, “it’s easy to work for somebody who cares so much for our state.”

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