CASPER, Wyo — Vendors and customers eager to connect after Wyoming Food for Thought’s Winter Market closures due to COVID-19 can do so now through the non-profit’s new Online Marketplace and Drive-Thru Operation.
According to Cassandra Baker, Food for Thought’s associate director, 16 vendors are selling as many as 80 products through the operation. These include fresh, locally-grown microgreens, fresh butter lettuce and radishes grown at Food for Thought, as well as sourdough breads, gourmet jams and jellies, farm-fresh eggs, hummus, and beauty products including roll-on essential oils and homemade soaps.
To make a purchase:
- Register through the “Find tickets” link at the Wyoming Food for Thought Facebook page. For new accounts, close the pop-up login window. Registrations are only available 5:00 p.m. Monday- 5:00 p.m. Wednesday every week.
- Once registered, customers will reserve a time slot pick-up between 2 and 4 p.m. that Friday.
- After reserving a time, a link will be sent to the customer’s e-mail to shop and make online purchase. Customers will then pull up to the church entrance at the Food for Thought’s Program Center at 900 St. John Street in North Casper and staff will deliver the goods.
“It’s something we’ve been dreaming about for a long time,” said Baker. Not only was the online purchase/mobile pick-up model the ideal solution for vendors and customers separated by public health orders, “it’s a unique opportunity going forward to streamline the Marketplace operations,” Baker said.
Instead of spending hours setting up and breaking down operations day-by-day, vendors can reduce time commitments and streamline their sales when customers place their orders online ahead of time.
The operation has made about 27 sales a week thus far, but Baker expects more in the coming weeks.
