JACKSON, Wyo. — Wyoming First Lady Jennie Gordon’s signature program, Wyoming Hunger Initiative, has transitioned to an independent nonprofit after being granted tax-exempt status from the IRS.
Wyoming Hunger Initiative launched in 2019 through the Wyoming Governor’s Residence Foundation. Formed in 1989, the Wyoming Governor’s Residence Foundation promotes and executes the charitable and educational projects of the Wyoming governor’s spouse.
“From the beginning, Wyoming Hunger Initiative has been about empowering communities to fight food insecurity in ways that are local, lasting and uniquely Wyoming,” Gordon said via press release. “As it becomes an independent organization, I am incredibly proud of the foundation we’ve built — and confident in the team’s ability to carry this mission forward with strength and vision.”
According to the press release sent Oct. 4, the purpose of the transition to an independent nonprofit is to ensure the initiative’s continued commitment to fighting hunger in Wyoming. As a 501(c)(3) entity, Wyoming Hunger Initiative will have the potential and flexibility to grow and build new partnerships across the state.
Through its many programs, Wyoming Hunger Initiative has reached all 23 of Wyoming’s counties and every Wyoming Tribe, the statement said. Food from the Field, a collaboration with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and Wyoming Department of Agriculture, brings hunters and participating processors together to streamline the process of donating game meat for distribution to those in need. Since the program was launched in 2020, 925 animals, or 54,570 pounds of meat, have been donated for processing.
Wyoming Hunger Initiative’s 2024 impact report highlights its other programs, like Grow a Little Extra, Angel Accounts and infrastructure grants distributed annually. Grow a Little Extra encourages Wyomingites who already grow produce, or who would like to start, to plant a few extra seeds and donate the surplus to fight food insecurity. In 2024, nearly 45,000 pounds of produce were donated. Angel Accounts paid off $50,000 in school lunch debts throughout the state in 2024. Over $200,000 was handed out to 57 applicants as infrastructure grants. In Lincoln, Sublette and Teton counties, seven organizations fighting hunger received infrastructure grants through this program.
“[Wyoming Hunger Initiative] will continue its core mission to end hunger in Wyoming while pursuing new opportunities for outreach, education and systemic change,” the statement reads.
The transition of Wyoming Hunger Initiative from under the governor’s umbrella to the nonprofit sector comes as the food access outlook across the state and the nation is going through a major shift. Many publicly funded programs are having funds cut or being terminated altogether. On Sept. 20, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the discontinuation of the Household Food Security Report, an annual survey that compiles data about the number of people who have trouble accessing sufficiently nutritious food. According to the USDA, the report was created during the Clinton administration and has helped to shape food policy and nonprofit work for decades.
“These redundant, costly, politicized and extraneous studies do nothing more than fear monger,” wrote the USDA in the announcement.
