Here to help — Wyo Help introduces Good Neighbor Club

Wyo Help in Weston County focuses on ensuring that all community members’ needs are consistently being met, and the organization, whose roots lie in Goshen County, has launched a new program called the Good Neighbor Club.        

Channing Lutz, resource coordinator for the organization in Weston County, said that Wyo Help is a community action organization committed to enhancing the quality of life for people in need by empowering them toward greater self-sufficiency. Wyo Help provides assistance with rent, utilities, medical bills, groceries and other unexpected expenses.

The organization is transitioning its offices in the six counties it serves in Wyoming to become family resource centers. The support that the staff in each office offers is intended to get families connected to the services and resources they need, and they hope the resource center will serve as the pivotal center of resources, the “hub.”

Each office is  the single place where people can get information on where to go for help for their particular need. However, grant restrictions limit how much Wyo Help is able to help.

“Due to the strict guidelines governing our grants and the restraints they have, WyoHelp has established a separate fund to continue to assist those in need. While we will still have our current grants, we will also have the Good Neighbor Club as an additional resource that we get to decide, as a community, to help our community,” Lutz explained. “Funds will be unrestricted and received from volunteers and local businesses working with the Good Neighbor Club. The people of the community will determine what needs are to be met and any requirements needed. Many families in Weston County are unaware of the resources available to support them in becoming more self-sufficient. We seek to increase that awareness and build a stronger and healthier Weston County.”

“We want our neighbors to work with us, partner with us to raise resources to help their neighbors to be healthy and overall become self-sufficient. The idea is to have unrestricted resources so we may adapt those resources to whatever the need in the community is,” said Kyle Borger, executive director of WyoHelp.

Lutz further identified needs local to Weston County that the Good Neighbor Club can help with.

“There are several struggles going on within the community. There is a need for affordable housing in our community and rent, as well as water bills are growing,” she said. “The more money raised for the Good Neighbor Club, the more neighbors we can help. We provide the resources and infrastructure to assist our community through the Good Neighbor Club, and I’m super excited to be able to help our people.”

The Good Neighbor Club is meant to meet needs beyond what available resources, such as grants, can provide. According to Lutz and Borger, the Good Neighbor Club is Wyo Help’s own entity in each county served. All the funds that are raised in Weston County go straight to the Weston County office and are used to meet the needs of the local community.

“There are always more needs than resources, so we’re trying to give to communities to participate, whether they are donating or volunteering,” Borger said.

The club continues to actively seek input from the community regarding the greatest needs in Weston County. To determine the specific needs of the community, needs surveys and volunteer information may be found on the Wyo Help website at wyohelp.com.

Lutz said that Wyo Help is hosting a Holiday Donation Station in Decker’s in Newcastle through Dec. 21.

“While there will be other donation stations, and we will announce them, we just have this one at the moment,” she said. “There will be a bucket and sign located inside of Decker’s at all times. There is an opportunity for volunteers to come and help. Our volunteers can move the bucket and sign outside in front of Decker’s and greet the customers.”

Volunteers are supplied with bells and aprons to use during their shifts.

“We encourage our volunteers to interact with the customers, but they will need to be respectful of Decker’s and their customers,” Lutz said.

To volunteer for the donation station, interested parties can find the volunteer registration form at wyohelp.com/good-neighbor-club.html, where they can also find needs surveys, more information and make donations.

The Wyo Help Weston County office is located at 128 W. Main St., Suite G, Newcastle, WY 82701.

For more information, contact Channing Lutz at  (307)-269-8489 or channing@wyohelp.com.