Cheyenne Day of Giving welcomes two new agencies to donation pool this year
Apr. 20—CHEYENNE — Cheyenne Day of Giving will be supporting 16 local agencies this year, adding two new organizations as it continues its mission to channel community support to local charities.
Life Choice Pregnancy Care Center and Recover Wyoming are the two new organizations that will be newly supported by the 19th annual Cheyenne Day of Giving. Those organizations are also two of 12 that will get year-round support from the Day of Giving.
Day of Giving's annual event will take place on May 10, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The day before, an event run by and for youth will take place from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Both will be held at the Kiwanis Community House in Lions Park.
"(Our mission is) to bring all parts of the community together to help those who are dealing with illness or disability or are in dire financial straits," Day of Giving Board President Kristal Wood said in a news release.
The release also suggested donations the public could bring for the all-day May 10 event, including:
— Nonperishable food
— Personal care items
— Craft items
— Leftover prescription medications
— Medical supplies
— Gently used housewares/furniture
— Glasses, hearing aids and cellphones
— Diapers
— New packages of underwear/socks
— Paper goods, such as paper towels, toilet paper, paper plates/bowls, plastic utensils, etc.
The youth event will be dedicated to nonperishable foods, personal care items and craft items, the release said. The youth involved will sort, box and deliver the donations they receive to agencies the following day. Adults will sort and deliver the donations they receive on May 10 the same day.
The event will only be half of Day of Giving's charitable work, Wood said, and the rest of their work goes to year-round support for recipients that need food, personal care items and craft items. This is funded by any financial contributions that the group receives.
"Money received is not given directly to the agencies we support," Wood said in the release. "With the donations received we set up a quarterly budget for each agency, with which we purchase items they need throughout the year. With the rising cost of everything, financial donations are very appreciated.
"Cheyenne Day of Giving is a 100% volunteer organization, which means 100% of financial donations received go right back out to those in need."
The organization's overhead is covered by sponsorships to ensure all the money it raises goes directly to the charities it supports.
One of the organizations that has benefited from Day of Giving's continued support is Cheyenne's COMEA House and Resource Center homeless shelter.
"We absolutely love Day of Giving. We've been working with them for as long as I can remember," COMEA Executive Director Robin Bocanegra said. "We had them help us buy Christmas gifts for all of our residents. That's huge, because we don't really have a budget for that.
"Day of Giving is one of our most important partners, frankly."
The year-round support from Day of Giving has gone past the materials they collect, Bocanegra said, with the organization pitching in to help the shelter buy a shed at one point.
"It is really meant to be things that we can't otherwise afford," she continued.
The founder of Day of Giving, Greta Morrow, is someone who has a built a strong relationship with the shelter. Now a board member for the charity, Morrow delivers donations to the shelter directly, Bocanegra said.
"Oh, it's wonderful, because she just sends me a text message, and we set up when we're going to go do the shopping," Bocanegra added. "(She) just makes it so much more convenient."
One of the newest agencies on the Day of Giving roster, Recover Wyoming, has already felt community support coming from the organization, even before this year's Day of Giving has happened.
"We went to a networking opportunity at the library this last week, and what what was really great is to be able to meet people and see how much compassion they have for the people that we serve," Recover Wyoming Executive Director Lana Mahoney told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle. "... I really felt like everyone, all the partners, as well as the Day of Giving, were really trying to figure out ways that we can support these individuals that are struggling. It felt really good to be part of something bigger and make a bigger impact in our community."
Recover Wyoming focuses on peer support and recovery services for those with substance use issues, and Day of Giving can prove people that use Recover's services with basic comforts that they might not have access to in their daily lives.
"(Some) of the things that we asked for (were) prepackaged snacks and water bottles," Mahoney said. "That's really great, because a lot of the folks that we work with come in and haven't eaten or drank in a while, and so it's really hard to focus on wellness and recovery if they don't have any food in their tummies. ... We have to help people with basic needs first."
Clean socks and underwear are also items Recover is looking for from the Day of Giving. While some take those for granted, Mahoney said they can be crucial for getting someone trying to recover from addiction into the right frame of mind.
"Sometimes it can make all the difference, when you're trying to get into recovery, to put on, you know, a new clean pair of socks and have a snack and start focusing on your health, because you have to feel good to want to work on your life," she said.
Samir Knox is the Wyoming Tribune Eagle's criminal justice and public safety reporter. He can be reached by email at sknox@wyomingnews.com or by phone at 307-633-3152. Follow him on X at @bySamirKnox.
