LARAMIE, Wyo. – During the Wyoming Cowboys’ final, regular-season home basketball game against Air Force on February 28, Wyoming Food Bank of the Rockies was presented with a check for $7,350 from Ridley’s Family Markets, the “Official Grocery Store of Poke Fans”.
Representing the grocer for the in-game announcement was Dan Kelly, store director for the Laramie location. A University of Wyoming Athletics’ corporate partner since 2015, Ridley’s is committed to leveraging their relationship with the Cowboys to assist area non-profit organizations. The overall donation total was a result of Ridley’s dedicating $150 for every quarterback sack during all Wyoming football games this past season (33), coupled with a $200 donation for every home win by the Cowboy men’s basketball team this season (12).
“Ridley’s is big part of the Wyoming Food Bank of the Rockies,” said Shanna Harris, executive director for the organization. “They donate cash to the organization which allows us to do our work of distributing nearly 10.1 million pounds of food, or 8.2 million meals in Wyoming in 2017. Wherever a Ridley’s store is located, they re-invest in our communities. We couldn’t do what we do without them.”
The relationship between Ridley’s and the university is overseen by Learfield’s Wyoming Sports Properties, multimedia rights partner to Wyoming Athletics. The university is one of nearly 130 collegiate institutions, conferences and arenas around the country represented by Learfield.
“The Wyoming Food Bank of the Rockies does outstanding work in our community, and we’re proud to support their ongoing efforts,” said Mark Ridley, Ridley’s director of operations. “We’re also proud to align our family business with a great university like Wyoming and happy to support the Cowboys, recognizing the hard work and dedication of these student-athletes.”
Ridley’s Family Markets family-owned chain of grocery stores based in Jerome, Idaho are located throughout Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Idaho, and Nevada. Since 1984, Ridley’s Family Markets has prided itself on being a hometown food and drug store that employs valued members of the local community who enjoy serving their neighbors.