First Lady honors volunteers who fight food insecurity

A Greybull teenager who has spent the majority of his life fighting food insecurity in the Big Horn Basin was among a group of volunteers recognized earlier this month by First Lady Jennie Gordon and her Wyoming Hunger Initiative.

Jack Pharaoh founded Jack’s Box about nine years ago.  Today, he’s a junior at Greybull High School. While his schedule no longer permits him to put out the box, he’s still every bit as committed to serving others.

Pharaoh’s mission has narrowed with a primary focus on helping veterans. He raises money to provide them with Thanksgiving and Christmas food baskets.

The recognition from the First Lady and her organization came during a regional summit in Cody.

The Wyoming Hunger Initiative was launched in 2019 with two tenets in mind: one, to never reinvent the wheel and two, to be in all 23 Wyoming counties. There are grassroots efforts in every Wyoming county dedicated to reducing hunger and combating food insecurity. Instead, Wyoming Hunger Initiative aims to increase awareness and support for the work of local anti-hunger organizations statewide.

“Through the relationships that have been developed across the state specific to food insecurity, Wyoming Hunger Initiative has identified partners in every community which has resulted in opportunities to network, share resources, and collaborate” said Gordon. 

 Other volunteers who were recognized along with Pharaoh included everyone at Mannahouse Food Pantry and the People for People Backpack Program; Ivy Asay, Worland Community Garden; Ginger Christie, Cody Cupboard; Shelley Deromedi, People for People Program; Greg Dimler, Food 4 Kids; Rita Fuller, Cody Senior Center; Jackie Hall, Backpack Blessings of Powell; Thomas Hitchcock, Cody Senior Center; Carol Johnston, Powell Senior Citizens Center; Wanda Little, Washakie County Senior Citizens Center; Linda Martin & Steve Ramsey, Lovell Community Food Pantry, and Cheryl, Chris, Heather, Jennifer, Natasha, and Nicole, Washakie County School District #1 Central Office Team.