On a recent Sunday, I joined the Reno Burrito Project to contribute service hours to my fraternity Tau Kappa Epsilon. I participated in their weekly effort to provide food and clothes to the unhoused.
With over 20 volunteers, the team quickly rolled and wrapped 540 burritos in under two hours for the community, while preparing fresh fruit, juice, soda, warm clothes, and even socks and underwear to make sure those in need are getting more than just a burrito. The project has been accepting donations of clothes, shoes, blankets, and other objects useful for our neighbors experiencing the harsh oncoming weather of Reno during our colder months.
The founder of the Reno Burrito Project, Blaize Abuntori, opens his home every week to people around the community looking to make a change. He says he has his volunteers that come every week, but that it actually relies on people like myself coming out for the first time. Blaze has been doing this for the community for over a year now and loves to see the support that people have for it. It started off by asking friends to help, now he can trust the community to show up and do their part.
I didn’t realize how simple and easy it is to help out and make such a huge impact. I was having fun figuring out the best way to roll a burrito, talking with my peers, and just being in such a positive environment. Hearing other reasons for attending really inspired me to want to do more. This time I only could contribute my time, but in the future I would like to bring items that could be donated and snacks that can be given alongside the burritos.