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RENO — The Nevada Department of Agriculture is distributing $500,000 in American Rescue Plan Act dollars to six organizations throughout the state to improve food security for Nevadans.
Officials said the effort is necessary because one in eight Nevadans are considered food insecure.
“Addressing food insecurity has always been a top priority for the NDA,” NDA Director Jennifer Ott said. “We saw the need for food assistance increase during the pandemic, but as we look towards recovery, we will be using ARPA funds to address those needs and plan for the future.”
Ott said part of the investment will be used to improve food assistance infrastructure to help get food to those most in need.
The projects and grant amounts are:
- Nearly $100,000 to Catholic Charities of Northern Nevada to scale up food purchases, including purchasing local food from Nevada farmers, and distribute through 42 food pantries in rural, Tribal and underserved urban communities. The organization will also open a new distribution site in Golden Valley to serve a previously underserved area of 640 households per month.
- $94,000 for Fallon Food Hub to increase food assistance across Churchill County and the Fallon Paiute Shoshone Tribe, including purchasing food from Nevada farmers to provide fresh produce.
- Nearly $62,000 to Food Bank of Northern Nevada to purchase food for distribution in their service area.
- $54,000 to Nevada Partnerships for Homeless Youth to improve infrastructure for better food storage capabilities and to expand service delivery of basic needs, providing vital services to underserved at-risk and homeless youth.
- $95,000 for Three Square to help partner organizations in rural Clark, Lincoln, Nye and Esmeralda counties develop infrastructure and provide food for more frequent distribution in more remote southern Nevada communities.
- Nearly $95,000 for the Walker River Paiute Tribe to expand healthy food access and fill the gap for 1,200 residents living in a food desert on the Walker River Paiute Reservation. Funds will be used to improve infrastructure to hold and distribute more food, enabling them to better support their communities in the future.
Source: NDA
