Nevada State Bank hosting pair of food drives to benefit local food bank

RENO, Nev. — Two Nevada State Bank branches will host food drives to benefit the Food Bank of Northern Nevada’s “Feed NV and the Sierra” campaign, kicking off and supporting Hunger Action Month.

Non-perishable food items can be donated by driving through drop-off locations open from 9 a.m. to noon at two Nevada State Bank branch locations:

• Thursday, Aug. 27: Damonte Ranch, 190 Damonte Ranch Parkway
• Thursday, Sept. 24: Sparks, 500 E. Prater Way

Those attending and donating should expect to stay in their cars to encourage safe social distance guidelines. Volunteers will remove bagged and/or boxed food donations from cars and place them into bins.

“We are so grateful for community partnerships like this one with Nevada State Bank that will allow us to receive much needed food donations from the community,” Nicole Lamboley, president & CEO of the Food Bank of Northern Nevada, said in a statement. “We are seeing more families who need our help than ever before. This will help us continue to meet that need.”

The Food Bank of Northern Nevada has seen tremendous increases in the need for emergency food services since mid-March 2020, according to an Aug. 17 press release.

Before the pandemic, the organization was helping approximately 91,000 people per month. During the single month of April, the Food Bank of Northern Nevada helped more than 125,000 people, a 37% increase.

The Food Bank has also seen more people at their Mobile Harvest program, which delivers fresh fruits and vegetables to families in the area. In the first 8 months of the fiscal year, the Food Bank served an average of 8,900 people per month through this program. In the month of April, that number rose sharply to 28,272 people.

“Giving back to the community is one of our core values at Nevada State Bank,” Nevada State Bank Northern Nevada Region Manager Debby Herman said in a statement. “We’re asking the community to help replenish the Food Bank of Northern Nevada shelves, so they can help our neighbors struggling with hunger.”

Suggested donations include canned entrées (soups, chili, stew, etc.), vegetables, fruits, proteins (tuna, chicken, beans, etc.) and other non-perishable, non-expired food items.