Nevada Basics

Thank you so much to the wonderful community member who recently purchased a donation of socks from the Nevada Basics wish list!

Socks are an invaluable asset for anyone living on the street or in shelters. This generous donation will be distributed to our community through Biggest Little Food Not Bombs events on Saturdays in Bennett Park (Washoe Food Not Bombs).

Of course a big thank you to Reno Food Systems for taking delivery of this donation for me!

On a personal note; between losing traction on the food map and giving birth to my first child I've been rather inactive on this account for a while. This donation is such a wonderful reminder of why I started this initiative in the first place & a great motivator to get back into community outreach! Lots of love - Heather

Abortion is healthcare!

on Twitter created a list with info about abortion funds specific to each state: http://bit.ly/AbortionFundsTwitter
Please share this info and follow/donate to the orgs she cited!

Here is the website version: http://donateabortions.com

Wild West Access Fund is a great local organization that deserves your support! wildwestfund.org/request-funds

Edit to add https://www.plancpills.org/ which provides direct access to chemical abortion.

Request Funds – Wild West Access Fund of Nevada Request Funds Fill Out Fund Request Forms Request funds English Solicitud de ayuda Español Deciding where you need to travel is an important step towards knowing the full cost of your abortion care? Find a Clinic Looking for more resources on navigating abortion care? Get Support

It looks like Food Bank of Northern Nevada has created their own map detailing their & their partner pantry's food distribution schedule:
https://fbnn.org/programmap/

Not sure yet what this means for the Nevada Basics map - there are a few independent food distributions that aren't included in the FBNN map, but this does seem to make redundant quite a lot of info on the NB map. Manually updating the FBNN listings in the NB map takes me a decent amount of time and energy - with this new FBNN tool it doesn't seem necessary 🤷‍♀️

Food Bank and Partner Distribution Locator - Food Bank of Northern Nevada Using the Map Find a site near you by exploring the map. Use the “Search by city or zip code” and distance to narrow your search to distributions in a particular area. To view locations for a specific program, click on the “View All” drop-down arrow at the top of the map and change your … ...

Sorry, y'all! I might be a little late with map updates this month. I'm really struggling with fatigue and brainfog at the moment.
My usual updates are the days/times/locations for Food Bank of Northern Nevada distributions which can be found here in calendar format: https://fbnn.org/gethelp/programschedules/
Hopefully I can get everything updated soon!

Get Help: Food Bank Programs & Schedules The Food Bank of Northern Nevada and our network of partner food pantries are here to make sure everyone in our community has access to the healthy food they need to thrive. With more than 70 food pantries, plus the Mobile Harvest, Senior Food, Kids Cafe, and SNAP Outreach programs, find the help yo...

Happy May Day!

The pantry map has been updated for May https://bit.ly/2XAxcG7

Please note - there have been some changes to the usual times/locations of Food Bank of Northern Nevada mobile pantry distributions. To view a printable calendar of their activities please visit https://fbnn.org/gethelp/programschedules/

If you're looking for something fun to do today please stop by the Reno Punk Rock Flea Market in The Generator Inc. ! A bunch of local mutual aid groups are there to tell you all about their good works and how you might get involved.

Unfortunately, I wont be able to make it as I've come down with a bad cold 😓 Please consider wearing a mask at the event to protect yourself and others 🥰

If you're curious about May Day and why it's worth celebrating, I recommend checking out this brief overview https://archive.iww.org/history/library/misc/origins_of_mayday/

Northern Nevada Pantries & Food Services - Google My Maps Nevada Basics is providing a work-in-progress map of pantries in the Northern Nevada area. Please pay close attention to pantry days/hours of operation where listed.

FYI - if you were depending on this distribution time please check with https://fbnn.org/ or call (775) 331-3663

Read this, then read it again.
"We gotta let go of this idea that we work in exchange for worth."

THIS

Washoe Food Not Bombs is now Biggest Little Food Not Bombs!

I'll be updating the pantry map with the new information soon 💚

Important announcement:
We're changing our name!

After consulting with the Washoe Tribe of NV & CA it was determined that the use of the word “Washoe” has in past caused confusion about services rendered by the Washoe Tribe versus outside agencies. As many of you may know the land encompassed by Washoe county is the aboriginal territory of the Washoe people and as awareness about Indigenous peoples/issues continues to expand we would like to do our best to respect the people from here, the Washoe people, by reflecting upon and decolonizing our own work. In this vein we will discontinue the use of the "Washoe" name and will instead adopt the moniker Biggest Little Food Not Bombs!

We're learning more about the history of the Washoe here:
https://washoetribe.us/aboutpage/4-Page-washoe-history

*Please note: it looks like it will take a little while for facebook to confirm the page name change request

The Northern Nevada pantry map has been updated for April 2022!

In addition to updating general pantry listings, I've also added locations for The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) as well as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Outreach locations as organized by the Food Bank.

Please be aware that Google sometimes places location pins one on top of the other. If you're looking for a specific program please be sure to use the search bar as some locations run multiple programs at different times.

https://bit.ly/2XAxcG7

Northern Nevada Pantries & Food Services - Google My Maps Nevada Basics is providing a work-in-progress map of pantries in the Northern Nevada area. Please pay close attention to pantry days/hours of operation where listed.

I have so much love for Soil Solidarity and am actively contributing to helping it establish 501c3 status. This is a program that deeply values food and housing justice and is dedicated to bringing egalitarian principals into the organization.

If you have the heart and the drive to be a part of something like this please come for a volunteer day and consider applying for a seat at the table. Passion and a desire to learn are the leading qualifications!

Reminder: Soil Soildarity is accepting applications from passionate dedicated humans who want to actively contribute to creating an equitable and sustainable future.

Please apply here:http://linktr.ee/soilsolidarity

If you want a private details meeting please email us! We will make time for you.

I encourage all local voters to participate in the discussion of proposed Election Resolution R22-28 at the Washoe County Commission meeting
When: Tuesday, March 22nd, at 10:00 am.
Where: 1001 E. Ninth Street, Building A, Reno, NV 89512
More info: linktr.ee/biggestlittlevote

Today I made a public comment at the Nevada Legislature Joint Interim Standing Committee on Government Affairs.
While my delivery of the statement I prepared left something to be desired (I was *shaking* with anxiety y'all 😅) I would like to share the various policy options I proposed including the last two I ran out of time to cover:

“
I am reaching out to the NV Legislature on the issue of affordable housing. It is my opinion that the only way to achieve truly affordable housing is to work toward the decommodification of housing and formally recognize housing as a human right. I believe the benefits of decommodifying basic human needs are self-evident and would therefore like to propose some solutions for consideration:

-Adopt statewide rent control – prevent landlords from raising rents without proof of substantial upgrades to the property that exceed basic maintenance. Rent increase should not exceed 1.05x and may only occur once every 12 months, regardless of occupant change. Apply a maximum rent rate that’s indexed to the property tax cap value.

-Governing bodies may begin tracking property vacancies and institute fines on properties that are left idle for more than 3 months. Properties that are vacant for one year or more and without development plans on record with firm completion dates may result in property ownership reverting to the community without compensation to previous owner.

-Formally recognize the conflict of interest that exists when government decision-makers are invested in commodified housing. Enforce recusals of board, committee, council members, etc. so that they are not allowed to vote on matters that stand to materially benefit them.

-The State of NV may create a loan program for renters looking to buy a primary residence at low interest rates; these loans should not be serviced by a for-profit organization.

-The State of NV may institute a program to build and maintain public housing. This initiative should at no point be contracted out to profit seeking organizations. Funding may be derived from vacancy fines, ending subsidies to landlords, and modifying tax codes. Public housing rents may be indexed to one-fourth occupant income after the occupant has established a regular income rate aligned to the area median income.

-Property management companies and other profit-seeking institutions or individuals with 2 housing units or more should be required to divest from NV property. Failure to divest will result in ownership being transferred to the residents without compensation or to the community at large. Prohibit all future speculation in the NV housing market.

-Forbid the harassment or tearing down of occupied encampment sites. Reroute all funding to currently supporting encampment sweeps toward public housing.

-Reconsider Nevada’s status as a Dillon’s Rule state in order for local governments to pursue urgent affordable housing measures in their communities.
“
-Heather Carpenter

If you've followed this page (or its previous incarnation Washoe Basics) for any length of time you probably already know that I'm slightly obsessed with structural methods to promote a community of care.

What you may not know is that I'm in a Business Administration degree program. Now, your average business degree doesn't cover much, if any, information on co-operative or nonprofit models and "unions" are treated with distaste if ever mentioned. I've consequently been doing a lot of extracurricular self-education on creating democratic working environments, co-operative housing, and the various ways to combat the commodification of basic human necessities.

I took some time to pour through my various notes and started assembling learning resources into a more comprehensive list that I can share with other like-minded people. I've highlighted my favorite resource which links to a library of free books on co-operative housing models.

Do you have any suggestions to add to the list?? Let me know in the comments!

**Please note: inclusion of a resource is not a blanket endorsement of the views expressed by the author(s) of that resource.**



https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1YvtgrVu3JOgM2OWgk-lrOw9oNPVBeiIBK1pwLdY6QiM/edit?usp=sharing

Community Empowerment Resources Sheet1 Topic,Name,Site,Description Work,Alliance for Nevada Nonprofits,https://alliancefornevadanonprofits.com/resources/,A resource site for nonprofit orgs in NV Work,C3SOP,https://www.c3sop.com/

A friend shared this amazing resource of people coming together to try to help families escape persecution by the government of the state of Texas.

https://trans-fam.web.app/ #/

I wish I knew what more we could do here in Northern NV, as a community, to help our brothers, sisters, and non-binary siblings... any ideas?

Trans Family Network Trans Family Relocation Assitance App

Happy March everyone!

The Pantry Map has been updated with the Food Bank of Northern Nevada mobile distribution schedule https://bit.ly/2XAxcG7

For a calendar style print out of these distributions please visit https://fbnn.org/gethelp/programschedules/

Please pay close attention to distribution times & locations listed in the notes as they are subject to change month to month - these details will appear when you click on the location icon in the map. If you are ever uncertain if a time or location is accurate please use the contact information provided in the notes (if anything needs updating I'd appreciate a heads-up too 😊)

Pro-tip, if you're ever in a pinch and need to find services happening *today* you can search the map with terms like "2nd Thursday" or whatever the relevant day of the week/month is to help narrow it down. However, I highly suggest you start by plugging in your personal address and checking what's in your immediate area.

If you regularly use or refer people to any of the services provided in the map I also highly suggest following the service provider's social media channels in case of last minute changes to scheduled distributions.

In solidarity, Heather Carpenter

Northern Nevada Pantries & Food Services - Google My Maps Nevada Basics is providing a work-in-progress map of pantries in the Northern Nevada area. Please pay close attention to pantry days/hours of operation where listed.

Absolutely thrilled to be a part of this exciting program!

We are excited to announce Soil Solidarity!

Soil Solidarity started with the idea that food and housing should be accessible to all. In cultivating this idea we’ve gathered together volunteers and supporters from all walks of life in our pilot project, Katharina’s Garden & Compost. This project began in 2017 in partnership with the Faith Lutheran Church to create an onsite garden & compost that is given back into the community through the Church’s pantry, as well as various mutual aid outreach groups.

Now we are excited to keep moving forward in our dedication to gardening justice. 

Since the founding of the pilot program we’ve expanded to collaborative partnerships with Hampton House Garden Project, Faith Lutheran Church, Washoe Food Not Bombs, Nevada Basics, and Northern Nevada DSA, Reno Food Systems, Down to Earth Composting, and numerous individuals, to source and share food cultivation resources.

As the Soil Solidarity program grows, beyond the pilot project, we plan to incorporate on-site housing for project participants. Part of our long-term vision is for Soil Solidarity to function as a workers cooperative & resource hub to facilitate fair, democratic working & living conditions for all who are involved, while providing support to the community at large. Our focus is creating a sustainable co-housing environment; where staff will manage the property and residents can participate in building quality of life, together.

We want to invite you all to be engaged in this next step. 

Join us for our garden days! Check out our Google Calendar to stay in the loop about future happenings: https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/5?cid=c29pbHNvbGlkYXJpdHkuaW5mb0BnbWFpbC5jb20

Join our board to create new futures for gardening justice in Northern Nevada:

We are looking for like-minded humans interested in helping us build this program. Our collective has been working tirelessly for five long seasons. We put a lot of energy and love into our program. We have 19 dedicated volunteers. However, we need a few more humans: a Treasurer, a Garden Hand and a President. It is important that these people grasp the philosophy and passion of the project as a whole.

I think I'd like to update this old infographic with some requested items like ace bandages, etc.

However, revisiting this got me thinking about all the different local mutual aid groups who are regularly fundraising for supplies like the ones listed here. Under our current economic framework it's generally more cost-effective to source things in bulk & on a schedule so I suspect individual fundraisers - while great - might not have the same impact as an ongoing, collective fund.

I started the Washoe/Nevada Basics initiative to help spread information on community resources. So far I can keep up on the pantry map alright, but it's difficult to do more than that in isolation. My desire to share info has also grown into wanting to facilitate the establishment of some kind of supply chain so all the mutual aid groups & individuals doing outreach can easily get ahold of supplies for redistribution at low-to-no cost to themselves.

I acknowledge that centralizing any effort comes with issues, but I think there's potential to create a centralized fund for mutual aid groups in an ethical way if finances are transparent & with other accountability measures in place. Like a nonprofit supply bank for all the non-501c3 initiatives? A designated, local Fiscal Host for our local Collectives?

It's an idea I'd like to explore at least.

What do you think?

-Heather Carpenter

I started working on a wish list of care package supplies yesterday.

I'm trying to get an estimate of the cost of having a diverse selection of basic hygiene and first aid goods that will last someone for a few days at a time. The prices are based on the model of cost saving through bulk orders and keeping packs lightweight for portability. I'm working with very rough estimates here as prices fluctuate and there are other costs like tax and shipping that aren't calculated.

I made the list with our struggling locals in mind but I'll be paying attention to conditions for evacuees too to see if they're getting sufficient help.

I invite everyone to make care packs yourself or you can order & ship the supplies to me I'd be happy to assemble packages to distribute during Washoe Food Not Bombs and with all the Outreach Rockstars around here like Reno/Sparks Mutual Aid, Puff Puff Pass the Love, Reno Burrito Project, Reno Hearts You, and with pantries like Reno Food Systems. I'm also seeking direct donations if you have any of this stuff laying around your house (for OTC meds like Ibuprofen though we really do need small packets with tamper-proof seals).

And please support Help Sierra Breathe

-Heather Carpenter

A pdf version of this document with active links can be found here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/hvwca9jkg661p6d/basic%20supplies.pdf?dl=0

Just found out about this resource and am so thrilled to share it!

This is a map of locations to access informed consent HRT - how cool is that?! Big thanks to on Twitter for her amazing work!



https://t.co/W5jqgV1Vfk

Erin's Informed Consent HRT map of the US - Google My Maps Help me raise money for my GRS if this is of use to you! https://www.gofundme.com/f/erins-gender-reassignment-surgery Lets make informed consent easier to access. Follow me on twitter . Let me know there if anything has changed or if any of these are wrong, or if I'm missing any!

A lot of people are struggling financially and that can have a big impact in all aspects of life. If your income is within the guidelines listed please seek assistance with Food Bank of Northern Nevada

Sources:
https://aspe.hhs.gov/topics/poverty-economic-mobility/poverty-guidelines
https://fbnn.org/gethelp/neighborhoodpantry/

The pantry map has been updated with the February schedule for FBNN Mobile Harvest and Produce on Wheels distributions https://bit.ly/2XAxcG7

For more details on Food Bank of Northern Nevada programs please visit: https://fbnn.org/gethelp/programschedules/

I'm debuting a few COVID testing site additions to the map. Before adding other locations I'd like to confirm that tests are FREE regardless of insurance and are reasonably easy to access. Unfortunately I've been having some trouble confirming locations with any reliable availability. The 4 County locations I've listed have had to close early in the past due to running out of tests. Please make sure to follow Washoe County Health District for updates on site closures, etc

Also, I'm not sure if this is a new Google map feature or if I'm only just noticing it but I can add icons as well as color to indicate the type of service offered at each location which I'm pretty excited about 🤓

Northern Nevada Pantries & Food Services - Google My Maps Nevada Basics is providing a work-in-progress map of pantries in the Northern Nevada area. Please pay close attention to pantry days/hours of operation where listed.

Free at-home COVID tests are now available http://special.usps.com/testkits

Stay friends 😊🙏
It’s OK to practice HEALTHY when you Need it! 💝

Today we honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

If you would like to learn more about the work of Dr. King you can find an archive of his writing here: https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents

The King Center was founded by Coretta Scott King to be a living legacy and continuation of the work she did with her husband https://thekingcenter.org/

The Neon Line Meeting on January 10 is now VIRTUAL only.

The proposed Neon Line District with Jacobs Entertainment could have serious ramifications for the housing crisis in Reno. Please read The Barber Brief excellent coverage and attend the meeting if you can!

January 8, 2022 The Week Ahead Neon Line Community Meeting details, Arlington Condos & more

It is expensive to be poor

Opinion | The Bill for My Homelessness Was $54,000 Debt is a hidden burden for Americans experiencing homelessness.

The Nevada Basics map of pantry and food services has been updated for January 2022
https://bit.ly/2XAxcG7

The Food Bank of Northern Nevada also provides downloadable pdf files of their distributions in calendar format here: https://fbnn.org/gethelp/programschedules/

Northern Nevada Pantries & Food Services - Google My Maps Nevada Basics is providing a work-in-progress map of pantries in the Northern Nevada area. Please pay close attention to pantry days/hours of operation where listed.

Would love to see this in Reno/Sparks!

"This needs to happen everywhere." Indeed.

shared via Benjamin Dixon