Food Bank’s FRESH Express Rolls Out Nearly 1 Million Pounds of Produce Across Wyoming

The original story by Monica Stout for Buckrail

Quick, healthy food delivered where it’s needed – that’s the simple promise behind the Food Bank of Wyoming’s FRESH Express, and in 2025 the program nearly hit a huge milestone.

The food bank announced Thursday that its mobile produce effort distributed 925,740 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables across the state during the calendar year. Launched in 2023, FRESH Express has been steadily ramping up service – adding delivery frequency, expanding routes, and this past year tacking on two more routes so the program can now reach all 23 Wyoming counties.

“We’re optimistic that we’ll distribute over 1 million pounds this coming year through this program alone,” Food Bank Operations Director Richard Plumlee said in the release, noting a final phase of expansion set for 2026.

FRESH Express acts like a refrigerated farmers’ market on wheels. The Food Bank buys and rescues fresh produce, then drives it out to partner organizations – food pantries, community meal programs, tribal sites and others – that serve people facing food insecurity. Because fresh produce spoils fast and needs cold storage, the logistics are tougher than moving canned goods, but the nutritional payoff is big.

A key part of the program’s success has been sourcing from nearby growers. The Food Bank reports it’s been able to secure steady supplies from producers in Wyoming and neighboring Colorado. Hoffman Farms in Greeley, Colorado, gets a special shout-out in the statement: company reps say Hoffman has filled last-minute orders and stepped in during “tight situations,” helping keep the shelves stocked.

“Collaborations and partnerships with local farmers and growers are so important and impactful,” Plumlee said.

Buying fresh from nearby farms, he added, not only feeds people but also pumps money back into local economies – “a win-win situation” for communities and growers alike.

Nearly a million pounds of produce is more than a headline: it’s fruits and veggies into refrigerators and onto plates where they otherwise might not reach. That means better child nutrition, improved health outcomes for seniors, and more options for families who’ve relied heavily on shelf-stable foods.

For many small towns and rural communities, a rolling produce delivery is the quickest route to fresh food – sometimes the only one without a long drive to a supermarket. Filling that gap helps with immediate hunger and encourages healthier diets long-term.

With the final route expansion expected to finish next year, the Food Bank is aiming to clear the 1 million-pound mark in 2026. That’ll require ongoing partnerships, steady funding, volunteer support and reliable cold-chain logistics – but after reaching 925,740 pounds in 2025, the program looks well-positioned to do it.

If you want to get involved – whether as a volunteer, donor or partner farm – the Food Bank of Wyoming typically posts ways to help on its website and social channels. For now, the takeaway is clear: FRESH Express isn’t just moving produce – it’s moving the needle on food access across the Cowboy State.