PINEDALE — For each elementary-aged child, families in Sublette County spend an average of $250 on classroom snacks each school year. Teachers, who all too often foot the bill to purchase assets for their classrooms, spend an average of $50 to $100 of their own money every year to feed hungry students. As costs increase, the Pinedale Community Food Basket (PCFB) continues to offset the burden on teachers and families to make sure students don’t have to go hungry.
PCFB’s Food Manager Kari Bossman said, “This snack program has helped 30 families” from Pinedale and Big Piney elementary schools, allowing them to “shift their focus to other important issues affecting their family.”

A third-grader at Pinedale Elementary School who benefits from the Wrangler Hunger Snack Club said of the program, “I like the snack bags because my mom can spend her money on bills and not on me.”

Teachers appreciate the program as an “outstanding benefit for our schools” because students with full bellies are better able to focus in the classroom.

PCFB is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that serves all of Sublette County and neighboring LaBarge by offering supplementary food services. The nonprofit’s mission is to “assist families with the burdens of food expenses.”

Grant funding from the Wyoming Community Foundation and Farm Credit Services of America will ensure the Wrangler Hunger Snack Club program will continue through the 2024-2025 school year.

All donations and funds revived help the PCFB better serve struggling families. For more information or to make a donation, contact Kari Bousman at 307-231-4640 or email pinedalefood@gmail.com.