Most days, Western Midstream employees are tasked with the tasks necessary to provide natural gas throughout Gillette.
On Tuesday morning, six Gillette office employees provided another, but equally important, service to the community.
“I've been here 20 years,” said Winter Carter, working at the Community Services Council Soup Kitchen in Gillette.
On the fifth Tuesday of every month, Carter takes a group of colleagues into the kitchen to prepare hot meals for those who want to sit down and eat.
“They are my worker bees,” she said.
Volunteer Mike Graves watches a pot of kidney beans heat up on the stove as he prepares a meal with other West Midstream volunteers at Gillette's Soup Kitchen on Tuesday morning.
Last month, those bees included Lenny Coleman, Eric Hoon, Jason King, Rick Jurefs and Mike Graves.
That morning, sautéed onions and ground meat were packed into hotel breads, and the hives worked together to prepare the food for patrons of the donation-only eatery.
Although the exact date is unknown, the kitchen opened around the time the council met in 1968.
Last year the council provided 16,284 meals to more than 1,000 people.
This is a slight increase from 2022, when the organization served 14,188 meals to 820 patrons.
Winter Carter opens a bag of warm bread saved from Walmart by the Community Service Council as she prepares a meal with a group of other volunteers at the Gillette Soup Kitchen on Tuesday.
Meals served in the kitchen are provided by a variety of funding sources, including private donations and the council's food rescue programme. The organization also buys food directly from the Wyoming Food Bank and supports the Wyoming Hunger Initiative and its “Grow a Little Extra Program,” which encourages backyard gardeners to grow extra crops and help their neighbors. are also participating.
This is the formula for continuing to provide hot, free meals from our soup kitchen every day except Independence Day.
“We love donations, but it's not required,” said Mikel Scott, the council's executive director.
In addition to feeding people, Scott said he believes bringing people together for meals also plays a role in improving and maintaining mental health.
That's why everyone is welcome in the kitchen, regardless of their position in life.
“It gives people a sense of community and collectivity,” she said.
Back in the kitchen, Western Midstream's crew now shares a similar philosophy.
Fresh mozzarella and dried pasta harvested locally by the Community Service Council as volunteers prepare meals at Gillette's Soup Kitchen Tuesday morning.
Despite Carter's claim that “I just show up and boss everyone around,” her out-of-state employer encourages community involvement and says she is We support all related activities.
In fact, Carter accepted a spoon from a former colleague who introduced her to the council and the kitchen.
“Overall, we want to give back to the communities we work in,” she said.
A team of volunteers wearing T-shirts that read “WES IS MORE” began pureeing the spaghetti they had split and boiled. From there, a large pot of noodles was poured into the browned beef mixture, mixed with chunks of fresh mozzarella, then covered and placed in the oven. The green beans continued to work on the stove while the garlic bread rescued from Walmart came out of the oven.
As a result, a hearty spaghetti was baked.
“That’s what I call it,” Carter said jokingly.
Volunteers add fresh mozzarella to trays of pasta as they prepare meals for patrons at the Community Services Council Soup Kitchen in Gillette on Tuesday.
The menu usually depends on what you have in your pantry. Carter works proactively to get anything that might need unpacking. On the fifth Tuesday of the month, they come to see what is available to make vegetables and side dishes.
Although she did not consult any recipes to prepare her meals, few people complained about the daily meals served at the soup kitchen.
Throughout her 20 years in the kitchen, Carter and her team have created enchiladas, roast pork, shepherd's pie, and more.
