Friday, January 9, 2026 |
Photo – McKenzie Crandall, Jentry Peppersack, Baby Beau – Courtesy Jentry Peppersack
In Hanna, residents of the northern Carbon County town are collecting baby items to help a new family after an unexpected arrival.
Jentry Peppersack and his girlfriend, McKenzie Crandall, moved to Hanna in November. Originally from Casper, the couple were expecting their first child, a baby boy named Beau, on January 23rd. Not long after arriving in Hanna, Crandall began experiencing early labor and had to be airlifted to Colorado for treatment.
After arriving in Denver, Peppersack said doctors were able to stabilize Crandall and the baby. However, on December 1st, it was determined that an emergency caesarean section was necessary, requiring baby Beau to spend over a month in the neonatal intensive care unit.
Peppersack explained that Crandall suffers from a form of uterine hypoplasia, or an undersized uterus. Because of her condition, Crandall was unable to carry the baby to full term and Beau had to be delivered prematurely.
Peppersack said baby Beau appears healthy and currently only needs an external oxygen source as his lungs continue to develop.
The family didn’t return to Hanna until Monday, January 5th. After the recent move, the early delivery, and 35 days in Denver, Peppersack was unable to gather the baby supplies his family needed and turned to Facebook for help. That’s when Heart of Hanna owner and Hanna Council member Ellen Freeman became aware of the family’s situation.
Freeman issued a plea on social media stating that the Heart of Hanna was assembling a care basket to help the family with expenses and the basic items needed to settle back into the community. The Heart of Hanna is a volunteer‑run non-profit consignment and thrift store with a large selection of 25‑cent items. On top of the care basket, Freeman said she is also allowing the family to take clothing and household goods from the store at no cost.
Freeman also said an unnamed individual has offered to match a donation to the Hanna Hometown Market grocery store. Additionally, a Saratoga resident donated $10 in Heart of Hanna gift cards to the family.
Larry Million also contributed a cash donation to the family through the Hanna Relief Fund. Million established the fund early last year to help Hanna residents cover unexpected emergencies.
Peppersack is asking for donations of bassinettes, diapers, wet wipes, bottles, preemie clothing, and blankets. Contact Ellen Freeman at (573) 286‑7553 or visit the Heart of Hanna, located in the Miner Plaza shopping center in Hanna, to drop off items for the family.
