The Albany County Detention Center found itself making a unique partnership when it had to unexpectedly close its kitchen for repairs. 

In mid-August a section of pipe had broken underneath the kitchen and prompted the closure, Albany County Sheriff Aaron Appelhans said. 

The detention center partnered with Laramie Soup Kitchen to quickly find a way to feed the more than 50 inmates in the jail at the time. 

The detention center staff used the soup kitchen’s cooking facilities located in St. Matthew’s Cathedral to cook breakfast and dinner for the inmates. Laramie Soup Kitchen staff provided lunch for the inmates as part of its regular daily meal operation. The staff prepared about 50 extra meals each day for detention center staff to pick up and deliver to the jail. 

The leaders of both entities appreciated the opportunity to work together in a way that wouldn’t normally happen.

“This is brand new,” Laramie Soup Kitchen Director Ted Cramer said of the partnership. “Overall it was just a really great way for both St. Matthews and the soup kitchen to partner with the community and help out where needed.” 

The situation began when the detention center brought in a plumber to fix a clogged pipe in the kitchen. Upon further inspection it became clear that there was corrosion and a leak in the main sewage line that was in need of repairs. 

The repair work necessitated disconnecting kitchen equipment and opening up a small portion of the kitchen floor to reach the 40 feet of pipe in need of replacement. 

While the problem has been completely resolved, the detention center is an aging building that may need more repairs or renovations in the future, Appelhans said. The section of pipe that needed replacement was installed in the 1990s.