Meet Fran! The Food Rescue Van Helping Feed Campbell County
Hunger affects thousands of people in Campbell County. According to Feed the Children, Wyoming is among the ten states with the highest rates of food insecurity in the country. Here in Campbell County, Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap estimates that 13.7% of residents (around 6,240 people) experience food insecurity.
During the first half of 2026, our Soup Kitchen had already served more than 21,660 lunches. Our Food Pantry assisted an average of 441 families each month, including nearly 300 children.
Behind every number is a person in our community who could use a little extra help. They might be a parent stretching a grocery budget, a senior or veteran living on a fixed income, or someone who has had their hours cut or run into an unexpected expense. For many of our neighbors, a little extra help can make a big difference.
Our Soup Kitchen and Food Pantry help fill the gap, but keeping these programs stocked requires careful coordination and strong community partnerships. That is where Fran comes in!
Meet Fran, the Food Rescue Van
Our food rescue truck has a new look and an official nickname: Fran the Food Rescue Van!
Fran travels throughout Campbell County picking up food from grocery stores and other community partners. The food is still safe and usable but might otherwise be discarded. Instead, it can help stock our Food Pantry and provide ingredients for meals served through our Soup Kitchen.
If you see Fran driving around town, our Food Pantry staff and volunteers are likely on their way to rescue food and help keep our community fed.
What Is Food Rescue?
Food rescue is the process of collecting safe, usable food that businesses are unable to sell and redirecting it to food banks, pantries, and meal programs.
Grocery stores and other food businesses may have surplus products, items nearing their sell-by dates, or food that no longer meets retail display standards. Although these products may not remain on store shelves, much of the food can still be safely used.
Through the Feeding America Food Rescue Program and partnerships with local businesses, our team collects eligible items and brings them back to the Council of Community Services. Staff and volunteers inspect and organize the food before it is distributed through our hunger-relief programs.
In 2024, the Council of Community Services distributed more than $637,000 worth of donated and rescued food. This would not have been possible without local grocery stores, food donors, volunteers, staff members, and other community partners working together.
Fran may be the most visible part of the process, but food rescue depends on many people. Businesses set aside eligible products, staff and volunteers coordinate pickups, and our hunger-relief teams prepare the food for distribution.
We are deeply grateful to every business, organization, staff member, and volunteer who makes this work possible. The next time you see Fran around town, give her a wave! She represents a community working together to reduce food waste and help ensure our neighbors have enough to eat.
Sources
Feeding America: Fighting Food Waste and Hunger Through Food Rescue
Council of Community Services: March Is National Nutrition Month
Council of Community Services internal program data, January through June 2026
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