• Proceeds from the Festival totaled nearly $25,000

Star Valley’s 2024 Festival of Trees event raised $24,638.01 through sponsorships, tree and gingerbread house auctions, and experience and product sales.  Proceeds from the festival were presented to the three food banks in Star Valley with each food bank location receiving a check for $8212.67.

“When those funds are used to buy food through the state food bank system, each dollar, this year, is multiplied eight times,” said Bethany Packard, who served as the 2024 Star Valley Festival of Trees Committee President. “So, each pantry could have up to $65,700.00 of buying power. This is why we moved away from asking for actual food product to a monetary donation event.”

According to Andrea Burchard with the Alpine Food Bank, the number of food bank patrons throughout the valley is growing steadily. “We couldn’t keep our efforts going without the generosity of the community.”  Julie Buckley, with the Thayne Community Food Bank, appreciates the Valley’s “genuine concern of those individuals in Star Valley that face food insecurity.”

“We recognize that, though many of us are so blessed, we all have felt the financial difficulty of these times,” said Packard. “Most gave this year not from an excess, but from an oversized heart, depriving themselves of something to help another. Such a beautiful thing! This is true Christlike love. By serving others, we serve God.”

Packard acknowledged that creating The Festival requires an immense amount of work and an entire year of planning and preparation. Next year’s committee will begin working on the 2025 Festival in January.

“There’s such magic in witnessing an entire community come together for a spectacular event, but there’s something truly beautiful knowing that through this event we can ensure no one goes hungry in our valley,” said Sierra Mitchell, director of the Afton Food Pantry.  “We are honored and so humbled to be a beneficiary to the Star Valley festival of trees. This event comes at such a pivotal time when our patron numbers are rising week after week and families are facing hardships more than ever. This donation helps carry us through the hardest months at the Pantry. We cannot thank the community and businesses enough for supporting this event , all those that spent countless hours decorating trees or gingerbread houses, but we especially want to thank the incredible hardworking festival of trees committee that works year round to make this event happen. Together we can make a difference and continue to fight food insecurity here in our valley.”