As of November 1, 2025, millions of Americans may not receive their monthly food benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) due to the ongoing federal government shutdown. In Wyoming, Governor Gordon has declared a public welfare emergency to ensure that food assistance continues (for now), but this can still put pressure on local organizations and food banks dedicated to feeding hungry Wyomingites.
AARP Wyoming is collecting non-perishable food items now through Thanksgiving. All donations will go directly to local food pantries, the VA, and Veterans Rock.
Non-profit organizations in Clearmont, Thermopolis, and Sheridan scored a total of four Community Challenge Grants totaling $31,000, AARP announced this fall.
This national award recognizes founders of 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) nonprofits who are 50 and older. AARP will award five Winners $50,000 for their organizations and a year of support to help broaden the scope of their work.
AARP Wyoming's Tom Lacock (left) and Jared Schaefer of KFBC Radio and the Cowboy State News Network in Cheyenne record the February AARP Wyoming Scam Alerts, Feb. 2 at KFBC studios.
While finding affordable housing has become a statewide issue, Age-Friendly Laramie (AFL) has been working with the Laramie City Council - to bring focus to the cause in Albany County. AFL is a grassroots effort to consider how issues related to population aging can be addressed by the community now and into the future. The organization is a part of AARP’s Age-Friendly Network of States and Communities and receives support and best practices from The World Health Organization’s Global Network for Age-Friendly Cities and Communities.
While you may hope calling 9-1-1 will result in an ambulance arriving at your door, in Wyoming, getting help from an Emergency Services agency is not a given.
With the 2024 election less than a year away, the Wyoming Legislature will consider changes to Wyoming’s statewide election laws in February that will impact everything from how long you have to live in the Cowboy State to vote to reporting requirements on who is trying to influence your vote. “At AARP Wyoming, we know no group values their right to vote more than the age 50+,” says AARP Wyoming State Director Sam Shumway. “That is why we keep an eye on bills that impact voting rights, methods, and who is trying to change your minds when it comes to an election.”
The State’s Legislature is looking for ways to get help to vulnerable adults who most need it and has forwarded a few bills to the 2024 Legislative Session to do just that. The Wyoming definition of a vulnerable adult is any person 18 years of age or older who is unable to manage and take care of themselves or their property without assistance as a result of advanced age or physical or mental disability. The Mental Health and Vulnerable Adult Task Force of the Wyoming Legislature, newly minted after the 2023 Legislative Session, could not sponsor its own bills but did have a busy interim, producing several proposed pieces of legislation.