We're still counting your generosity from Friday's first annual Casper Cares Radiothon, to feed Casper kids in need through the Weekend Backpack Program at the Wyoming Food For Thought Project - but wanted to say a quick THANK YOU for the thousands of dollars raised, the tons of volunteer hours, and the two truckloads of food that will stock the shelves of the Wyoming Food For Thought Project.  With your help, they'll make sure that Casper kids don't have to battle hunger on the weekends, holidays, and school breaks when they're away from the safety nets of the free and reduced-cost food programs at school.

Thanks to our sponsor Subway for all their great help making Friday possible, and for handing out all the free subs for those who dropped off peanut butter donations for the kids this week - couldn't have done it without them (and you!)

Even though today was a success - we're just scratching the surface of a big problem in Casper.  Right now, the Wyoming Food For Thought Project reaches a few hundred children in town - but the need continues to be greater than available funds and food, and that's where you come in.  Approximately 2,500 Casper children are in "food insecure" households, which simply means - they don't always know where their next meal is coming from.  Here's a few things you can do to keep making a difference:

  1. Donate money, and consider that it only takes a commitment of $25 a month to feed one of these kids throughout the entire year.  The folks at the Wyoming Food For Thought Project would love anything you can spare, and would love to make you a monthly donor to make sure support for these kids is locked in all year long. You can even do it online, it's quick and easy.
  2. Give food. Make sure it's non-perishable stuff, staples like peanut butter, canned food and vegetables. Tuna, ravioli, single-serving packages of things like crackers, macaroni and cheese - think about lightweight items that can be easily carried home in the discreet backpacks that they deliver to the kids through the schools. Often, there's tons of sales on these types of items - at our host locations of Albertson's Friday, several of these necessities were discounted to just .50 a can. A little money goes a long way to getting these kids through tough times.
  3. Give time.  The Wyoming Food For Thought Project does a lot more than just weekend backpacks - and are always in need of people to help haul, sort, stuff, or work in their downtown facility, be part of their community gardens and other projects.
  4. Spread the word.  Calling attention to this problem is one of the main things you can do to help make a difference.  Tell your friends, share the story on social media, and keep an eye on the work Wyoming Food For Thought Project is doing with kids, advocacy, education - it's all local people helping local people, Wyoming people finding solutions to Wyoming problems.

Thanks again for all you do to help, and make Casper a one-of-a-kind place to live - see you next year!

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