A community’s volunteers are priceless

“Volunteers don’t get paid, not because they’re worthless but because they’re priceless.” — Sherry Anderson

A group of volunteers, often ages elementary school to 80 years old, gather at the fairgrounds monthly to distribute food from the Wyoming Food Bank. The food distribution has played a huge part in helping with food insecurity within our community for years. It started at the chamber building and then moved to the fairgrounds for more room and easier access. 

Without these volunteers, the food distribution would not happen. It is often a thankless job. But they don’t do it for the praise. They do it because it is important. The volunteers show up at 9 a.m. After all the pallets are unloaded from the semi-truck, the pallets of boxes are unwrapped and set up in rows so that the fresh items may be added. The fresh produce crates are unwrapped; spoiled food must be removed. Then the math begins, figuring out how many of each item need to go in each box. The fairgrounds building provides a lot more space than the chamber did but it sure is cold in the winter. The volunteers bundle up and occasionally must go outside to warm up.  After the food is gone, they do the clean-up. 

Hats off to the volunteers that run the Basin Food Pantry. The food doesn’t just appear. There is a lot that happens behind the scenes, including getting donations of food and money. The food donations must be gone through, sorted and put away.  Recently a local ranch donated hamburger and eggs. (God bless.) A volunteer met them at pantry, helped unload and then put away the items. The volunteers also go to the store to purchase food and pick up the food donations there. They bring it back to the pantry to sort/put away. They come to the pantry at all different hours and on different days to give food to those who need it right away. The three ladies that are the heart of the food pantry don’t expect recognition, but they deserve it. Without them and other volunteers, the Thanksgiving and Christmas basket program wouldn’t happen. 

Volunteers make Basin’s annual Home for the Holidays event happen, too.  Burlington’s Christmas celebration is all done by volunteers. The town of Basin’s Beautification Committee is all volunteers. The events at the Basin City Arts Center are put on by ...  you guessed it … volunteers. Friends of the Basin and Greybull libraries are all volunteers. Lilac Days ... yup, volunteers. 

“Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they have the heart.” – Elizabeth Andrew