BOCES itself has saved 14 percent since August 1999, said Food Service Manager Mark Brandenburg, who helped get the program rolling.

In layman terms, it works a little like buying in bulk at the grocery store.

Instead of going to the Kwik Shop and buying one candy bar, you go to Sam’s Club and buy 500 candy bars,” Brandenburg said. The company gives discounts per candy bar for the larger purchase.

School districts in Wyoming have pooled the purchasing together. These include the following schools:

Wyoming Members: Big Horn County #1, #2, #3, #4, Crook County #1, Converse County #1 & 2, Hot Springs County #1, Johnson County #1, Fremont County #6, 14, 21, and 24, Goshen County #1, Holy Name School (Sheridan), NEW BOCES, NWW BOCES, Niobrara County #1, Park County #1 and #16, Platte County #2, Sheridan County #1, 2, and 3, St. Joseph's Children's Home, St. Stephen's Indian School, Washakie County #1, Washakie County #2, Weston County #1 & #7, and YES House.

Food Services of America in Billings, Montana,  is the Prime Vendor.

The coop began in the Northeast in January 1999 when Brandenburg and David Swantek, BOCES former Executive Director, heard about similar programs in neighboring states. They did some digging and found many states had similar programs and were having great success with them.

“It’s going really well. It’s grown a lot faster than we anticipated.” Brandenburg said.

Brandenburg acts as the coordinator and liaison for the schools and with Food Services of America. If districts have a problem, say, a delivery is late or the order is wrong, they speak to him.

Money saved by the districts typically goes back into their school’s budget to be used for other student programs and needs.