Records Broken for Western Wyoming Beverages’ Food Initiatives

Records Broken for Western Wyoming Beverages’ Food Initiatives

Volunteers pack prepared meals that will be donated to Wyoming food banks during Pepsi's Packing Out Hunger event at the Sweetwater County Events Complex Jan. 11. SweetwaterNOW photo by David Martin.

ROCK SPRINGS –– Western Wyoming Beverages saw a record-setting year in its initiatives targeting food insecurity.

Volunteers and employees of local businesses packed 73,236 meals and 575 hygiene kits Jan. 11 at the Sweetwater County Events Complex through Pepsi’s Packing Out Hunger. Additionally, the Cans for Cans Food Drives resulted in more than 19,000 items collected, which represents a 25% increase in donations compared to the prior year. 

“It really makes me proud of our community,” Sean Valentine, President and CEO of WWB told SweetwaterNOW during the Packing Out Hunger event.

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The Packing Out Hunger also represented a record with the number of meals packed and distributed, resulting in more than double the meals packed during the first Packing Out Hunger and approximately 10,000 more than last year.. Valentine said the first Packing Out Hunger event resulted in approximately 30,000 meals being packed and distributed to food banks.

Everything collected during the events was distributed to area food banks, schools, backpack programs, and the Wyoming Food Bank. The donations are part of WWB’s three-pronged approach to address hunger, consisting of Cans for Cans, Pepsi’s Packing Out Hunger, and Pepsi’s School Lunch Payoff.

The Cans for Cans Food Drive took place Dec. 17 and Dec. 19 in Rock Springs, Green River, Pinedale, Evanston, Jackson and Big Piney, while Packing Out Hunger took place Jan. 11 and saw a turnout of more than 290 volunteers. Pepsi’s School Lunch Payoff Program will address lunch debts for students in western Wyoming, with more than $2,400 donated to the initiative in 2024.

“Western Wyoming Beverages is committed to giving back to the communities we operate in, and addressing food insecurity is one of our primary goals. It amazes me each year to see our team and our community come together to support those in need,” Valentine said in a prepared statement.