Going the extra mile to help others

The people of Green River, and Sweetwater County as a whole, regularly come together and show their willingness to go the extra mile to help people – or, sometimes, to go the extra 1,800 miles. 

That's what Tracy Bernard and Mary Ward-Bernard did when they decided to take donations to hurricane victims in North Carolina. And they're not the only ones who have recently been encouraging the community to rally together to help people in need, both across the country and close to home. 

Helping hurricane survivors 

Tracy Bernard was watching videos of the damage Hurricane Helene has caused in the eastern United States when he decided he wanted to do something. He and his wife Mary Ward-Bernard had also heard about the struggles of survivors now trying to put their lives back together, and Tracy wanted to help.

"He said 'I want to take a truckload of stuff to the people in North Carolina, to the hurricane victims,'" Mary explained. 

She was on board with her husband's desire to help, but wasn't totally sure where to start. But they wanted to just try and see what happened. Mary decided to put a post on Facebook asking for donations, thinking it would take several weeks to gather enough to be worth bringing. She didn't expect her first post to blow up, and the donations to start pouring in. 

"The response was overwhelming, in all reality," Mary said. "In seven days we had a 53-foot box van trailer on the back of his semi and a 26-foot moving truck completely loaded. We also had a small U-Haul trailer and two pickup beds full of stuff loaded and ready to roll by Friday."

As the community pulled together to help, so did others outside the community, from people in Worland sending their own trailer full of donations to include, to people from Salt Lake City bringing donations and volunteering their time to help load the trucks. 

"It got big quick," Mary said. 

Donations of a wide variety of items added up, including food, water, canned goods, clothes, laundry detergent, cleaning supplies, feminine products, baby products, formula, diapers, generators, chainsaws, yard tools, and even wood to help rebuild homes. 

"You name it, it was on that truck," Mary commented. "We pretty much had anything and everything you can think of."

Both individuals and local businesses were crucial in getting everything together, according to Mary, and she said she couldn't even keep track of the list of everyone who helped out. 

With the trucks and trailers loaded, Mary and Tracy and their helpers set out last week, with some leaving Thursday night and others following on Friday. They spent roughly 30 hours of just driving time making their way to Chimney Rock, North Carolina, where they arrived on Monday morning. 

"We made Chimney Rock our mission," Mary said, explaining that the small town was almost entirely destroyed by the hurricane, and few places are left standing. 

Mary and Tracy focused on Chimney Rock after hearing about the devastation there from a friend in Wyoming whose brother is a commissioner in Chimney Rock. They also heard reports of some altercations the people in Chimney Rock had with FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) and other federal groups, and delays in getting the aid they needed, which made them even more eager to get the donations to the small town. 

"It was pretty amazing," Mary said of their arrival in Chimney Rock. 

Almost as soon as they got there, generators were unloaded so they could go out to people who have been without power for two weeks, particularly going to those with medical needs, like needing CPAP machines. Other donations from the truck were also re-loaded onto other trucks so they could go out to nearby small towns and areas in the surrounding community. 

As they unloaded the trucks by hand with their family and the volunteers who'd come to help, Mary and Tracy were thankful for the community they came from that made it all possible. 

"I'm super proud to be from where we are," Mary said. "Our people really stepped up."

People also continue to step up, as Mary and Tracy are still receiving even more donations. Mary said she's had people ask if they'll take donations to other areas affected by the hurricane. She pointed out that they have donation drop spots at Wool Warehouse and at Fleetpride, and will continue to gather what they can and find ways to share it. 

Supporting fire victims 

Mary and Tracy aren't the only ones looking for donations and support for those affected by natural disasters. 

Addressing a concern even closer to home, several local businesses are coming together in order to support victims of this summer's wildfires in Wyoming, particularly those in Sheridan affected by the Elk Fire. 

As of Wednesday this week, the Elk Fire burning in northern Wyoming had reached 92,487 acres and was only 28% contained. 

Wanting to help those affected by the fire, small businesses in Sweetwater County decided to team up together. The effort started with Under Pressure Mobile Massage, and grew to include businesses like NAPA Auto Parts, Olivia's Sweet Delights LLC, Sierra Scissorhands, Fly It High Flags, Sweetwater Holistics, Brower Brother Nissan, and more. 

In order to raise even more money for the cause, the businesses in Sweetwater County also decided to put a challenge out to small businesses in Natrona County. The idea is for both counties to compete to see who can raise more funds. The competition is only for bragging rights, but is ultimately just to try to raise even more awareness and funding across the state.

The local businesses coming together to support the fire victims have spent this week gathering goods and services to be part of a raffle that will be open to the community. NAPA Auto Parts in both Green River and Rock Springs is serving as a drop off location until tomorrow for anyone that wants to donate items or services to be part of the raffle. Raffle tickets will be sold next week, starting on Monday, October 21. All of the proceeds will go towards the Elk Fire Relief Fund, which can also be donated to through elkfirewyo.com. 

Gathering food with Faith and Blue 

Another important cause that always needs addressed is food scarcity, and recently Wyoming and Sweetwater County law enforcement worked to help meet this need and connect with the community. 

The Faith and Blue food drive took place at the Expedition Island Pavilion last Friday. The event was hosted by the Wyoming Highway Patrol, along with the Sweetwater County Sheriff's Office and Green River Police Department. This was the second Faith and Blue event hosted by the WHP, after a successful event in Star Valley last year. 

"It's our outreach to the community," Arron Healy, a WHP CVSA Level III Inspector and District Three Public Information Officer, explained. "And we like to get together with our law enforcement agencies." 

Faith and Blue as a concept is a nationwide effort that started in 2020 with the idea that "the ties that bind officers and residents must be reinforced if we are to build neighborhoods where everyone feels safe and included," according to the Faith and Blue website. "Faith-based organizations are key to building these bonds because they are not only the largest community resource in the nation, with 65 million participants in weekly events, but because they are as diverse as our nation," the website adds. 

Healy pointed out that many people only interact with law enforcement when they need service, so Faith and Blue provides an opportunity for law enforcement to work together with religious institutions and to be an active part of the community. 

Using the event as a food drive is also a way to help support the community, and Healy explained that all the food gathered would go to the Food Bank of Sweetwater County. Donations are especially helpful at this time of year as the food bank prepares for the holiday season, Healy pointed out. 

Green River's Faith and Blue event ended up bringing in about 150 pounds of food donations, according to Healy. 

Going the extra mile 

When it comes to helping those in need, Green River and Sweetwater County residents regularly prove that they are willing to go the extra mile. This fact was officially recognized and celebrated at the October 15 Green River City Council meeting, where a proclamation recognizing November 1 as "Extra Mile Day" was read by Mayor Pete Rust.

"Green River, Wyoming is a community that acknowledges that a special vibrancy exists within the entire community when its individual citizens collectively 'go the extra mile' in personal effort, volunteerism, and service," the proclamation stated. 

The practical ways that local residents find to go the extra mile and give of themselves have been on display recently, and continue to be seen.

"I think we're a very strong community," Mary Ward-Bernard said. "I think we have amazing people, and we're always willing to help those who are really in need."