Where To Get Free Summer Meals for Laramie Kids

Summer is fast approaching, and the school year is nearly over. Unfortunately, this time of year marks a period of uncertainty for many children as their access to regular meals ends with the closing of school cafeteria doors.

Wyoming faces an alarming statistic - 1 in 5 children in the Equality State faces food insecurity. In an effort to combat the disparity, First Lady Jenny Gordon launched the Wyoming Hunger Initiative to provide our state's children access to food. The initiative has improved awareness of hunger and food disparity in the state and opened the door for more resources to provide food for needy children, families, veterans, and elders in Wyoming.

Albany County's extension of the Wyoming Hunger Initiative has answered First Lady Gordon's initiative with enthusiasm. Check out the list here or by visiting nohungerwyo.org.

Food Pantries and Essentials

These resources offer both to-go food items and non-perishables and toiletries, diapers, and other critical essentials for kids and families.

Family Promise - Albany

215 South 11th St. Laramie, WY

Family Promise of Albany County is part of the national Family Promise group that seeks to help families experiencing homelessness. Their Diaper and Hygiene Cabinet offers free diapers, hygiene items, and food to families in need.

Find out more about their pantry by clicking here.

Laramie Interfaith

712 Canby St. Laramie, WY

Laramie Interfaith is a non-profit dedicated to helping our city's residents through times of need. They offer several services to help families in need.

The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) provides food assistance to qualifying individuals and families. The service distributes food monthly at the Laramie Interfaith building.

Laramie Interfaith also hosts a food pantry open to all with no income qualification necessary. The pantry has non-perishable food items and hygiene products on hand, while perishables like milk and bread are refilled regularly by donations from local grocery stores. Note that the amount of products a family can select depends on family size.

You can find out more about Laramie Interfaith's services by clicking here.

Trinity Lutheran's Campus Cabinet

107 S. 7th St. Laramie, WY

Trinity Lutheran offers a pantry service to the public that carries both perishable foods, non-perishables, and hygiene products. The pantry has no income limitations and is open to all who need it.

Trinity's Campus Cabinet also offers grocery gift cards and takes requests for items. Find out more about their program by clicking here.

To-Go Food

Laramie also has several options for ready-made foods that kids can bring home for the day.

Feeding Laramie Valley

Feeding Laramie Valley has two programs serving the kids of Laramie.

"Shares" is their year-round program offering a "shares" bag every week that provides 2-3 servings of fruits and veggies to each participant. The program also provides recipes to inspire participants on how to cook up their received produce.

Kids Out to Lunch and Kids Home for Dinner are the kid-focused programs offered by Feeding Laramie Valley. Kids Out to Lunch offers healthy meals to kids from 11:30 p.m. to 1 p.m. every weekday. Lunch meals also come with to-go activities for the kids. Kids Home for Dinner offers weekend meals for youths during the school year and also provides engaging to-go activities for the kids.

Find out more about Feeding Laramie Valley by clicking here.

Laramie Soup Kitchen

The Laramie Soup Kitchen provides to-go meals for any individual or family in need. Their hot, home-cooked meals include salads, baked goods, and other options. Their kitchen is open from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. every weekday.

Find out more about the Laramie Soup Kitchen by clicking here.

*Albany County School District #1 Backpack Program

While the Albany County School District #1 Backpack Program is a school-year program, it's a great one to know about. The program helps students in need by providing weekend meals and snacks at the end of every school week for them to take home. Reach out to your student's school counselor for more information.