EVANSTON — The Lord’s Storehouse food bank has received an enormous donation — approximately 40,000 pounds of shelf-stable food — courtesy of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
A JustServe-branded truck, the community service platform for the LDS church, made the delivery on Thursday, July 9, as part of a national collaboration between the religious institution and America Gives — America250’s initiative to celebrate the semiquincentennial anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Evanston was one of 250 communities to receive a truckload of food across all 50 states.
Food bank volunteer and board member Jodi Juretich acknowledged that food insecurity is what brought attendees together for the occasion.
“Food insecurity, in a nutshell, is ‘I’m hungry today. I don’t know where my next meal is coming from,’” Juretich said. “That’s pretty serious.”
Juretich said that 47 million people in the United States face food insecurity, 14 million of which are children. One out of five children in the country goes to bed hungry.
According to Juretich, the Evanston food bank is one of the largest in the state and runs completely on volunteer efforts.
“We have approximately 31 volunteers who work approximately 160 hours a week collectively,” she said. Open twice a week, the food bank feeds approximately 300 households per week — 200 on Tuesdays and 100 on Fridays. Each household can only pick up a box once a week. Between 350-500 households are fed during the holidays. Weekly boxes typically contain 25-30 pounds of food, including produce, meat, bread, canned goods, boxed items, desserts and sometimes milk and eggs.
Special dietary items are available on occasion. Hygiene kits and cleaning products can be provided by request. The Period Project provides discreet packages of feminine hygiene products.
Birthday party bags containing dry cake mix, frosting, candles and party favors are also available.
“We try to accommodate everybody as much as we can,” Juretich said.
Juretich recognized Kay Rossiter, who founded the food bank from her garage nearly 40 years ago. Peggy Christensen became a longtime volunteer and board member after her late parents, Melba and Fritz Amsler, got involved. Juretich also acknowledged the decade-long volunteer efforts of Toni Walworth.
“I call her the ‘workhorse’ of the organization,” she said of Walworth. “I feel honored to be side by side with these ladies.”
Church volunteers and missionaries, employees and patients from the Wyoming State Hospital also donate time and energy to the food bank.
The food bank receives donations through state and federal programs, including The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) via the Food Bank of Wyoming and Feed America.
Walmart and Smith’s also participate in food rescue by donating “their less-than-perfect produce or [items] close to expiration,” she said.
“By the way, expiration date doesn’t mean you have to throw it out,” Juretich said. “It depends on if it’s ‘best by’ or ‘use before,’ but some items can last up to five years after their expiration,” she said, urging attendees to research online for more information. “That food is perfectly fine.”
“There were 8,500 pounds in one month that those two organizations donated to us and that’s not an unusual number,” Juretich said. “Every day of the week except for Saturday, we get some kind of delivery through donors.”
Maverik donates between 60 and 100 pounds a week, she said. The family of the Walmart manager donated pigs they’ve raised in the 4-H program.
“We had some great bacon that year,” she said.
Juretich also highlighted donations from Good to Grow Farms and the Rotary Club of Evanston community garden beds.
“This year, they’ve secured two plots, and my guess is we’re going to get close to 800 to 1,000 pounds of food from that garden,” she said.
The United States Postal Service hosts an annual drive, utilizing mail trucks to pick up and deliver.
“They give to us three to five thousand pounds each time,” Juretich said. “We’re very grateful for that.”
Cent$ible Nutrition Educator Stephanie Anderson provides recipes using on-hand ingredients available at the bank.
“That helps to educate them and use our food so it doesn’t go to waste,” Juretich said.
The bank accepts produce from local farmers and USDA-approved meat, including game, from ranchers and local hunting organizations.
“Let me tell you about our interaction and association, friendship, partnership with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” Juretich said. “In the last four or five years, they have provided us grants, and the last one was $30,000.”
Juretich said the church donated 82 pallets of food in February.
“That’s 4,320 boxes of food,” she said. “That’ll last us about 14-15 months.”
Juretich estimated the value of that delivery to be between $150,000 and $200,000.
In addition to Thursday’s food delivery, the church is offering its closed-down Bishop’s Storehouse location in Evanston for storage.
“Their incredible generosity and unwavering support have been vital to us to keep our shelves full,” she said. “Because of the church’s commitment to feeding the hungry, fewer families have to worry where their next meal is coming from. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you for being a faithful partner and helping us fight food insecurity.”
“I was a little surprised that we were able to get this truck because we’re just Evanston,” Evanston stake president Elmo Smith said, crediting contributing efforts by Ron Burt, the LDS Utah-area communication systems director. “What a happy surprise for me when I heard that we were going to be able to do that.”
Smith said church members will often fast for two meals per month, then donate the money from those skipped meals to the program.
“People from this area donated money that then becomes food,” Smith said. He added that people can come from the Bridger Valley or Kemmerer to use the Lord’s Storehouse. “We don’t turn people away,” he said. “Food can make a difference and [so does] the love that comes with that food.”
Correction: A previous version of this story said the Lord's Storehouse is the largest food bank in Wyoming, which it isn't. It is one of the largest, however.
