Dayton High School girls basketball team hosting food drive today

On Wednesday, Dec. 16, Dayton High School Girls’ Basketball team is leading a holiday food drive in the Dayton neighborhoods of River Village, Quail Ridge and Northpointe.

The team is gathering canned food, peanut butter, dried pasta and other nonperishable items for the Dayton Food Pantry.

Residents can leave their donations on their own front porches, and the students will come by and collect them between 5 and 8 p.m.

The Dayton Food Pantry also welcomes donations at its building, 4 Enterprise Road. Call Alie at 775-246-7834 for more information.

How Does the Pantry Work? Residents of the Dayton area work with the nonprofit Healthy Communities Coalition of Lyon and Storey Counties in volunteer service to keep the pantry going strong. Volunteers range from the very young to elders, and come from all walks of life, united by the belief that no one should go hungry.

From the pantry site on the corner of Highway 50 at 4 Enterprise Way in Dayton, emergency food boxes are provided during weekday hours (Mon-Thurs from 10am-4pm), and monthly food boxes are provided for the Dayton Senior Center Home bound list. Food is packed and delivered each Friday for local students through a school “Backpack Program”, providing about 170 students K-12 with much-needed food during the weekends. The Pantry offers its primary food distribution once a month at Sutro Elementary school’s multi-purpose room.

The nonprofit Community Chest, Inc also offers employment assistance on site at the Pantry with a staff person who can help clients locate job openings, develop resumes, and connect with job training opportunities, in addition to assisting with Medicaid, Disability benefits, and SNAP (food stamps).

Through grants, USDA, and the generous donations of businesses and private citizens in the region, the Pantry is able to help locals of all ages combat hunger. The Pantry is also grateful for food collected through Food Bank of Northern Nevada, and the Pantry benefits from reduced price rates from many area businesses.