JACKSON, Wyo. — Access to quality, nutritious food in Teton County and Wyoming is changing behind the scenes, and many nonprofits are working hard to bridge the gap. At the same time, Wyomingites are bracing for cuts to federal safety-net programs, including Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as Food Stamps.
With the closing of the federal government’s fiscal year on Sept. 30 comes an end to required funding of state-run SNAP education (SNAP-Ed) programs around the country. Wyoming’s SNAP-Ed, Cent$ible Nutrition Program (CNP), is administered through the University of Wyoming Extension and offers free cooking, nutrition and physical activity resources to low-income individuals who qualify.
On May 30, CNP was notified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that its 2026 allocation of funds would be approximately $1.8 million. Less than two months later, through the passage of H.R.1 – One Big Beautiful Bill Act in Congress in July, the potential 2026 allocation was terminated. CNP Program Director Mindy Meuli told Buckrail in July that the funds would have been 90% of the total budget, with 10% remaining from the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP).
According to the USDA, The Food Stamp Act of 1977 laid the groundwork for SNAP-Ed through a cooperative program called Food Stamp Nutrition Education. These organizations — federally funded and state-administered through the Department of Family Services — were meant to complement SNAP benefits in order to empower and educate recipients to make healthy choices and spend the money wisely. Meuli said that Wyoming’s SNAP-Ed program has been in place for over 30 years.
Meuli noted that the remaining EFNEP funds will go toward direct education classes, which is only one piece of what the group performs. CNP also partners with organizations around the state to operate “community interventions,” like assisting a food pantry in purchasing a refrigerator to store fresh produce, or seeking donations of locally produced food to distribute to hunger relief partners. CNP now plans to cease operations of those projects.
Kali McCrackin Goodenough, CNP manager and marketing specialist, put it this way: “We can teach people to eat fruits and vegetables, but if they get their food from a food pantry that doesn’t have fruits and vegetables, then they can’t access them.”
The Wyoming Department of Health has previously granted CNP money, which was passed on to childcare centers in the forms of indoor play equipment to increase physical activity or small refrigerators to store breast milk.
“We have been a connecter of agencies and programs,” Meuli said. “We really helped make changes in organizations, and that momentum will be lost.”
Up until now, CNP has tried to keep educators on staff who cover education outreach in every Wyoming county and the Wind River Reservation. According to Meuli, the educator for north Lincoln, Sublette and Teton counties resigned in 2024 and the organization had trouble filling the position. The new reality of funding cuts means that hiring educators is put on hold and other personnel will most likely be laid off.
“We don’t know what the future holds, but it’s been a great synergistic partnership with nonprofits across the state,” Meuli said. “We appreciate being able to serve the community and serve the low-income audience and work with such great partners.”
Follow along as Buckrail dives into the changing world of food access in Teton County and Wyoming through interviews with food producers, food pantries, nonprofits, government agencies and more.
