In response to recent developments affecting all three food banks in Star Valley, an investigation by the Wyoming Department of Agriculture, enforcing a regulation from the United States Department of Agriculture, is currently underway. The investigation follows an announcement made by the Afton Food Pantry that multiple animals purchased by donors during the Lincoln County Fair’s 4-H and FFA Livestock Auction were confiscated because they were not processed at a USDA-approved facility. The meat from these specific animals was required to be returned to the donors.

“This news truly breaks our hearts—and it couldn’t have come at aworse time,” reads the original statement from the Afton Food Pantry, posted to their Facebook page on October 22. “With more and more families turning to us for help and many preparing to go without their SNAP benefits next month, the impact of this loss is staggering. Not only are we losing over $3,300 in processing costs, but even more painful is the loss of several hundred pounds of high-quality protein given from 17 animals.”

Since the announcement, the community has rallied. On October 25, the Afton Food Pantry reported that two donors offered a cow to be processed, received a meat donation from Salt River Ranch, and over $2,800 in monetary donations.

“The Afton Food Pantry takes full responsibility for the domestic meat situation that arose following the fair and where fair animals were processed,” Sierra Mitchell, President of the Afton Food Pantry, told SVI News. “Our mission has always been to feed families in need, but in this instance, we misunderstood the regulations surrounding domestic meat and accepted processed animals that did not meet the requirements set forth by the USDA. We are deeply sorry for this mistake, not just to our donors but also to the patrons we serve.”

“We never intended to overlook food safety standards and are now working closely with state and federal agencies to ensure full
compliance moving forward. This has been a humbling experience, and we are committed to learning from it. Our volunteer team remains dedicated to serving families with integrity, compassion, and transparency, and we are so grateful for the continued support of our community as we move forward stronger and wiser.”

“The Alpine Food Bank empathizes with our partners at the Afton Food Pantry and the Thayne Food Bank as we all navigate the unfortunate situation surrounding the processing of donated fair animals,” said Andrea Burchard from the Alpine Food Bank. “Our freezers are all pretty low this time of year, and knowing those donations are coming is a big deal. While we at the Alpine Food Bank had not yet received any meat processed at the non-USDA facility, we have since had to turn away donations to ensure compliance with food safety standards. Thanks to the incredible generosity of our community, we currently have funds
available to purchase meat and continue serving our patrons. However, the loss of these fair animal donations presents a real challenge. Our client numbers have more than doubled over the past year, and while we’ve been able to meet the growing need so far, this setback makes it harder to maintain our momentum. We remain committed to serving our community with dignity and care and are grateful for the amazing support that makes our work possible. If you would like to help, please consider donating funds or USDA-approved meat products to any of the three food banks in the valley. Together, we can continue to ensure that no one in our community goes hungry.”

SVI News also reached out to the Thayne Food Bank, but they declined to provide a statement at this time.

The Star Valley Meat Block in Thayne, which is the only USDA-certified processing facility in Star Valley, told SVI News that the assumption by some that they were the party who reported the Afton Food Pantry is inaccurate. “There have been accusations that we turned the Pantry in, and this is 100% NOT TRUE,” states Tylee Williams in the statement.

“The fact that uninformed people are making accusations about what happened and defaming us is unfortunate. We will keep taking the moral high road and improving and working with local and regional food banks, as well as military personnel, veterans, locals, and our community. Over the last eight years, we have donated over $50K to people in need and veterans. Showing our continued commitment to the local community in need, we held a fundraiser this summer right before the fair and raised over $800 that was given to the food bank to help with processing fees. Our employees volunteered on their own time. We
donated the beef that was auctioned to raise the money. Unfortunately, this donation, like others and grant funds, did not lead to any people benefiting due to its misuse.”

The Star Valley Meat Block provided a detailed statement regarding the process they went through to become USDA-certified, the ongoing inspection process, and additional details on how they work with local food banks and other organizations. This complete five-page report can be found here.

As this remains an ongoing investigation, no details have been made available by the USDA. Further information will be provided at the conclusion of the investigation and as further details are released.