July 16, 2024 |
Photo – Volunteers at Food Bank of Wyoming fill boxes to be distributed – Courtesy Food Bank of Wyoming
To abide by its own rules, the Wyoming Food Bank will deliver less food to Hanna residents.
Once every other month, trucks from the Wyoming Food Bank in Casper distribute food outside of the Hanna Recreation Center. In the past, any food that wasn’t taken by residents was given to the Heart of Hanna, a local consignment and thrift store. Workers at the Heart of Hanna offered the food to anyone in need, free of charge. Hanna residents who couldn’t make the set distribution date relied on the Heart of Hanna to hand out the leftover food.
Former Hanna Recreation Director Kim Connolly oversaw the bimonthly Wyoming Food Bank distribution process. Following Connolly’s resignation last month, Town Clerk Vivian Gonzales assumed responsibility for handing out the food.
During the July 9th Hanna town council meeting, Clerk Gonzales said the Wyoming Food Bank dictates that extra food is to be given directly to community members, not to a specific organization.
Clerk Gonzales said Wyoming Food Bank does not allow the excess food to be stored and handed out on a different day. Gonzales said she doesn’t know how or why the Heart of Hanna began receiving the extra food.
Clerk Gonzales said Wyoming Food Bank was sending the town 92 prepackaged boxes of food. To comply with the charity organization’s guidelines and prevent wasted food, Gonzales reduced the number of boxes Hanna receives. Additionally, she ensured that food distribution occurs only at a specific time outside the recreation center.
Gonzales said Wyoming Food Bank requires people register as a proxy before they are allowed to pick up food boxes for people unable to make the distribution date. The town clerk encouraged residents to help their neighbors by serving as their official proxy.
Gonzales said Wyoming Food Bank tracks how much food is distributed to Hanna residents. The town clerk said she must comply with the rules to prevent the charity organization from denying service to Hanna in the future.
Mayor Jayson Nordquist acknowledged that the town was not obeying the charity’s regulations by allowing the Heart of Hanna to take leftover food. Mayor Nordquist said the town will handle food distribution correctly from now on.
Gonzales said Wyoming Food Bank proxy forms are available in the Hanna town hall.
