Wyoming Food Pantries Struggle to Keep Up as Holiday Hunger Rises

Wyoming News Now and Wyoming Public Radio contributed to this report.

As the holidays approach, food pantries across Wyoming are seeing demand stay stubbornly high – and in some places, even climb – leaving volunteers and staff scrambling to keep shelves stocked and meals on tables.

In communities big and small, more neighbors are turning to food assistance than officials typically expect this time of year. The Food Bank of Wyoming reports that many of its partner pantries saw a surge in new families coming for help around Thanksgiving – in some spots, more than 80 new households showed up for food support. That wave hasn’t eased as December wears on.

To meet the spike in need, the Food Bank of Wyoming doubled the number of food boxes it distributes through its 14 mobile pantry sites – from about 175 to roughly 350 – in both November and December. It’s meant more drivers clocking overtime and thousands of extra miles logged getting food out across the state.

“We really did see an uptick when it came to our neighbors needing help during Thanksgiving time,” Olivia Schon, director of development at the Food Bank of Wyoming, told Wyoming Public Media.

State-level efforts helped shoulder some of that burden: Wyoming’s Hunger Relief Program kicked in additional funds in November, giving pantries a chance to buy more than just shelf-stable staples. St. Joseph’s Food Pantry in Cheyenne reported being able to offer healthier items like dairy and eggs thanks to that extra boost.

Out in Casper, Joshua’s Storehouse also saw heavy traffic. While the number of visitors has leveled off a bit from November’s peak, pantry director Debra Davis said things are still “super busy.”

“We’re still working with high numbers,” echoed St. Joseph’s executive director Eva Estorga, who noted that demand hasn’t dipped since Thanksgiving.

Pantries say every donation – whether it’s a dollar, a food item or a few hours of volunteer time – helps stretch limited resources further. Right now, the Food Bank of Wyoming is even matching donations this month thanks to support from the John P. Ellbogen Foundation, meaning a $1 gift can provide food equivalent to six meals.

Beyond the holiday season, the need for food assistance has been high all year. In fiscal 2025, the Food Bank of Wyoming moved more than 12 million pounds of food – that’s over 10 million meals – out into communities through its network of partners, volunteers and mobile distributions.

Volunteers are playing a massive role: in 2025 alone, nearly 1,000 people gave thousands of hours helping sort, pack and distribute food at the Food Bank’s distribution center and various pantry sites.

Multiple factors appear to be driving the increased demand. Earlier this year, interruptions and uncertainty around SNAP benefits during a federal government shutdown left many households scrambling – an experience that heightened awareness of food insecurity and, in some areas, pushed more people into food pantry lines.

High grocery prices and steady household expenses also make every dollar stretch thinner, meaning some families turn to pantries for help even if they wouldn’t have in years past. Donations, emergency funding, and tireless volunteers are keeping the system running – but pantry leaders say the strain is real.

With winter in full swing and the holidays still unfolding, the pressure on Wyoming’s food assistance network isn’t letting up anytime soon. For many residents, an extra box of groceries or a few more dollars in donations can make all the difference between a meal and an empty plate.