Elk NetworkWyoming’s First Lady Looks to Improve Game Donation Process, Help the Hungry

General | June 24, 2020

Wyoming First Lady Jennie Gordon is on a mission. An avid outdoorswoman, Gordon wants to get more game meat onto the dinner tables of Wyomingites in need. To make that happen, she is launching Food from the Field, an innovative partnership with Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Wyoming Department of Agriculture and Wyoming Food Bank of the Rockies.

“Sometimes people love to hunt and maybe can’t use all the game meat that’s harvested and want to donate it to a food pantry,” Gordon told the Laramie Boomerang. “As far as being able to get (game meat) into the food system, there were some barriers.”

Hunters can take meet to participating processors where the Wyoming Department of Agriculture will inspect, test it for chronic wasting disease and then forward it to Food Bank of the Rockies which will distribute it to local pantries. Hunters have the option of paying for the donation or the program will pick up the tab.

Gordon says more than 70,000 people in Wyoming suffer from food insecurity issues.

(Video source: Wyoming Game and Fish Department)