That time again, as we help out our neighbors in need with our annual "Birds & Bucks" Food Drive. The date is set for Friday, November 18th - and will happen simultaneously at both Casper locations of Albertson's. We'll be live with our friends at Wyoming Food Bank Of The Rockies from 7am until 7pm, collecting donations to be distributed by seven local food pantries: Faith Assembly Food Pantry, Restoration Food Pantry, Central Wyoming Rescue Mission, Oasis Food Pantry, Holy Cross Food Pantry, Salvation Army, and Joshua's Storehouse. Here's what we need:

  • Frozen Turkeys. Typically, most grocery stores (including our friends at Albertson's) run some great specials on gobblers this time of the year.
  • Cash. If you've been with us during the holidays for the last several years, you might notice that our list of benefiting charities has multiplied by 7 since we got started. That's all possible through our association with the folks at Wyoming Food Bank Of The Rockies, and here's how it works.

Wyoming Food Bank Of The Rockies is a Casper-based organization that is working to end hunger statewide - from right here in Casper, they literally serve all 23 counties of Wyoming with the help of over 260 member agencies, like our 7 local food pantries and charities that benefit from Birds & Bucks. In just the past year, they've distributed almost 5 MILLION pounds of food to more than 55,000 of our Wyoming neighbors.

Through their relationships with everyone from national grocery chains, retailers and charitable foundations - all the way to the US Government, they're able to stretch donation dollars farther to help out charity drives like ours, as they can purchase food for these local agencies for a small fraction of what you'd normally spend in a retail scenario.

 

How Your Donation Stretches
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Literally, they can provide FOUR meals to local people who need them for just a one dollar donation.

It adds up quickly - and it's not just a matter of putting Thanksgiving dinner on the table. Casper's hunger problem is a 365-day-a-year proposition. Here's some facts you may not be aware of:

  • 13% of Wyoming's kids live in families with incomes below the poverty threshold.
  • 31% live in families with incomes less than twice the federal poverty threshold.
  • 9.4% of people in Wyoming live in poverty.
  • 6.2% of Wyoming seniors live in poverty.
  • 1 in 10 Wyoming households are either "food insecure*" or "food insecure with hunger**".

*Food Insecure Example: "Our family was able to put together breakfast but aren't certain if lunch is going to happen or not..."

**Food Insecure With Hunger Example: "Our family didn't have breakfast, and aren't certain if we can provide lunch either..."

Can you help by spreading the word at your office, school - by sharing a link to this article with your friends and family on Facebook, or your email contacts? And more importantly - bringing your Birds & Bucks to us at Albertson's East & West on Friday November 18th between 7 and 7.

As always - thanks for helping our neighbors in need and making Casper such a great place to call home.

 

 

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