Teton Valley Food Pantry Steps Up After Highway 22 Road Collapse
In June, there was a partial collapse of the Teton Pass on Highway 22 in Wyoming. This road connects Idaho and Wyoming and many Jackson Hole, WY workers live in Idaho and regularly commute across the border on Highway 22. This road collapse added hours of driving each day for these commuters. The Idaho Foodbank was able to work with the Teton Valley Food Pantry in Driggs, ID to assist with the Pantry’s increased support for the communities that were impacted by the road closure.
As a result of the road collapse, many Idahoans were struggling because they were unable to get to work in Wyoming so they lost a paycheck they had been planning on. Others were facing reduced work hours. The majority of people were facing increased stress due to less income, much longer driving times, spending more on gas and car maintenance, as well as challenges finding child care.
The Teton Valley Food Pantry began doing a mobile food pantry on Monday evenings in Victor, Idaho to make food available for the people forced to take the much longer route to Wyoming. They served 90 households at this mobile food pantry. The Teton Valley Food Pantry also kept their Driggs food pantry open later into the evening on Wednesdays. The Idaho Foodbank is pleased to support the Teton Valley Food Pantry by providing them with additional food deliveries to support their neighbors who were hurt by the road collapse.
We are pleased to be able to support our partners like Teton Valley Food Pantry to address unexpected community needs and crises in innovative ways.