The Pandemic Leads to a Growing Initiative
Amidst a surge in the pandemic last fall, and feeling heartbreak for those facing increasingly tough times, Amie Duncan had an idea. Born and raised in Reno, she wanted to reach out and help neighbors without housing, while also bringing together the community. She began collecting homemade soups and packaging these soul meals in individual portions, and spent Sunday mornings passing them out with her family.
“We decided as a family to start putting soups together, putting them in warm containers, and delivering them to the homeless,” Duncan said in the parking lot of the Diamond’s Casino on a recent Sunday morning. She continued this every weekend through the winter. The community stepped up, came together, and with overwhelming support the organization has bloomed, grown and expanded.
In addition to cultivating community support, two local restaurants, Sup and Grateful Gardens have both been donating nearly ten gallons of soup each month. And now it has surged beyond soup. Duncan now offers clothing, hygiene kits, reusable masks, water bottles, sandwiches, books, produce, cookies, and snacks. Reno Soup for the Soul has become a commissary for our neighbors in need. As a working mom, Duncan dedicates nearly all of her free time to Reno Soup for the Soul. The Instagram for the initiative recently said it would keep going, while transitioning to more weather appropriate food after the end of March. To make the model work better, the group has also gone to a twice a month distribution.
“We couldn’t do it without the community,” Duncan said, feeling overwhelmed both at the need and the response of others now helping. The following is a photo series by Our Town Reno reporter and photographer Richard Bednarski.
“Everytime we come out there,” she said “there’s more and more people and I don’t know if that’s going to be changing anytime soon.” Volunteers help her set up at several locations every other Sunday. This week she began at tent city, under the Wells Avenue overpass.
Before heading out to pass out food and supplies, Duncan gathers her team of volunteers for a roundtable discussion and welcomes new volunteers. She is vigilant about being part of the bigger picture with the community and understands it is important to work with others that are doing the same thing - trying to find long-term solutions. “Not just short term fixes and making dents,” she explained, “but actual sustainable changes that can really help make a difference in the community.”
Each week, Duncan said there are at least twenty people helping run the show. About half of them are making soups, sandwiches, and baked goods and delivering them to her house. The others help her set up and pass out their offerings to the homeless twice a month. This past Sunday, volunteers passed out 180 servings of soup, over 400 sandwiches, 40 chicken wraps, over 100 muffins, 50 pairs of gloves, 40 pairs of socks, 26 beanies, 48 fleece blankets, 175 face masks, 24 reusable water bottles, and 80 hygiene kits.
Duncan and the volunteers are efficient. Within minutes of pulling into an encampment, tables were set up with boxes of soups, sandwiches, fruit, and hygiene kits ready to go. As a line formed, a volunteer passed out bags and masks and talked with each individual person. By the end of the line, people left with necessities making their struggle a little more bearable.
Though she had to switch from weekly to every other week to remain sustainable, Duncan is proud that she has been persistent. “We’re still doing this consistently,” she explained “we’re making a difference, I really credit Blaize [Abuntori, the founder] from the Reno Burrito Project for inspiring me to do so, even when it’s not perfect, we keep going.”
While the group set up in a second location on Record Street, Duncan was approached by a Reno Ambassador. He informed her that the owner of Record Street Brewing Company did not want them set up and serving the homeless food in front of the building. With no other suitable location nearby, this came as a shock to volunteers who see this form of gentrification potentially impacting their efforts. The owner did not respond to our requests for input.
Duncan has set up a gofundme account to raise money for supplies. In addition, she has created an Amazon wishlist. These online accounts help the community provide resources in a time when the pandemic has limited social interactions. People can purchase items and have them delivered directly to Duncan’s house. The money raised allows her to purchase items to fill in any cracks.
A man experiencing houselessness and sleeping at the downtown shelter waits patiently next to his bike as volunteers set up tables and food.
With plenty of food left over after the second location, Duncan and the volunteers next went to the Volunteers of America homeless shelter on east Fourth street. Once set up they served another fifty plus people with food, blankets, hygiene kits, and books.
Moving forward, Duncan is brainstorming how to transition to warm weather and move the organization forward. “Also talking to others in the community about what the needs are,” she said “trying to see what’s going on so we can fill the needs where it’s needed.”
Duncan credits the volunteers as being the catalyst that keeps her going. Though they are essential to the operation, the work Duncan does is vital. Just watching her orchestrate the operation is telling. She remains in the background and it is clear this project is not about her or personal gain. It is all about helping those most in need.