Going directly to where the unhoused are staying, without fanfare or looking for publicity, Food Not Bombs in Reno now offer health food and compassion at two locations Monday nights, starting at 5:30 p.m. at its usual spot near Fisherman’s Park and then on Fourth street near the Cares Campus shelter compound.
On a recent Monday, despite ongoing chill in the air, volunteers plated savory spaghetti, beans, rice, and other food items while handing out water to neighbors in need.
One constant volunteer, Ken Stover, a lawyer, says he first heard about this food event when his paralegal told him about it, and he felt he could share some of the zucchinis from his own garden.
“It’s pretty impressive how they tolerate the weather that we go through,” he said of some neighbors he’s been meeting here for years, who live under nearby bridges.
“Very few people actually take the time, energy and effort to contribute their time or money to assist,” Stover said when asked if Food not Bombs was open to having other volunteers.
One of the organizers, Cuauhtēmōc Tiahui, said donations are always welcome as well.
“I want to be effective in m community, help out the people in any way I can,” he said of his devotion to this regular gathering. “This is a very easy way of helping out the people, whether it’s with food, cooking, donating socks, clothes of any kind, and then just hearing the stories of the people out here. Hearing what they need, what’s going on in the streets. I think it’s important. A lot of people, they’ll look at someone without a house and kind of ignore them, pass by them, kind of not understand, judge. It’s good to know what’s going on.”