Ministry to Children: Wyoming churches raise three pigs for food pantry

Children and youth from First United Methodist Church and Union Congregational Church in Buffalo, Wyo., raised three little pigs last fall — and delivered about 600 pounds of pork and ham to the Bread of Life Food Pantry.

It was so successful that the churches plan to raise more pigs beginning in May.

The project started last October when Steve Adami, a member of Union Congregational, learned that the food pantry was short on meat. “I wonder if we could grow some pigs?” he suggested to Alice Swett, a colleague at work and a member of First United Methodist.

A local rancher donated the pigs and Thar’s Feed Store provided feed. Eight children and youth from each church took turns caring for the pigs in Adami’s pig pen, which was left over from his children’s 4-H projects.

The food pantry contributed outdated food for the pigs to eat. The pigs grew especially fond of cake mixes and baby formula.

Prime Cut Meats of Buffalo donated processing and wrapped the meat in small portions. “We had it to the food pantry Christmas week,” Swett said. In December the food pantry fed 652 people.

“It was a way of raising people’s awareness of needs in our community and, if we work together, how we can meet those needs,” said the Rev. Su DeBree, pastor of First Church. “I look forward to doing it again.”

Contact the church at (307) 684-5845. The Web site is http://gbgmchurches.gbgm-umc.org/buffalo-kaycee.