Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years
Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years
Bernadette Martinson, daughter of Washakie County Ministerial Association President Mike Martinson, displays the shelves of food available at the Ministerial Association building at 620 Big Horn Avenue on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023.
WORLAND - Just inside the front door of the Washakie County Ministerial Association building on Big Horn Avenue stands a refrigerator stocked front-to-back, top-to-bottom with Styrofoam egg cartons.
"Recently the food bank of Wyoming had a truck come in. Right now at the pantry I have about 120 dozen eggs," said Ministerial Association Vice Chairperson Ward Byrd. After December, the month of giving, the food pantry is well-stocked for its estimated 20-30 wintertime regulars.
Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9:30-11:30 a.m., canned goods, pasta and frozen meat are available to those in need. People looking to supplement their meals may stop in on a monthly basis for assistance, providing photo ID, social security card and proof of income. Each person fills out a list of needed items, provided by the Ministerial Association, and is automatically given a pound of meat and a loaf of bread.
"Realistically, I don't turn anybody away. If you're going to come in on a real consistent basis, we just want to see that there is a real need. We give them just about anything they ask for as long as it's on our list and we have it available. It could supplement their dietary needs for a month, but it isn't going to provide them a meal for a month," Byrd said.
Worland elementary schools regularly ask for food collections for the pantry, December brings even more donations. Local ranchers and hunters donate processed meat. Cash donations supplement donated items through purchases from local retailers. Byrd noted that this holiday season, the food pantry provided Christmas dinner for around 125 families. Through the Angel Tree program, they were able to distribute 93 gifts to local children. "Those are things I get excited about. It is really all about people and loving them. That's what we're here for," Byrd said.
For winter, the food pantry seems set. However, Byrd asked that the community keeps them in mind beyond the typical giving times. Come summer, the food pantry serves 40-50 people regularly. "Summer months for donations gets lean," Byrd said. "We'd almost like to have a Christmas in July at the food pantry where people would have an awareness that we are still operating, we are still in need, and we could still use donations at that time of year."
Items that are typically not thought of for the food pantry, such as paper goods, detergent and personal care products are in high demand. In emergency situations, such as past floodings of the Big Horn River, Byrd said that the food pantry has been able to provide food and bedding, with the help of the Red Cross and other organizations, to those displaced.
"I'm proud of our community, it rallies," Byrd said. "It's just amazing how our community is so very giving. A big thank you to our community, our businesses and our churches for what they do to help people who are hurting right here in Washakie County."
