For the Thanksgiving holiday, Healthy Communities Coalition of Lyon and Storey Counties had lots of community support gathering and distributing donations for its Yerington, Dayton and Silver Springs food pantries. “We knew we could count on the generosity of our community,” said Healthy Communities’ executive director Wendy Madson. “To the many who have donated food, funds, time and talents, working so hard to ensure all have a proper Thanksgiving meal, your Healthy Communities’ team says thank you.”

In addition to logistics help by teams of food pantry volunteers, area schools, businesses, churches and Central Lyon Fire also helped fill the shelves at the food pantries.

Dayton High School culinary students were part of making sure that all had a full Thanksgiving meal. The students baked 155 pumpkin pies and delivered them to the Dayton Food Pantry before the holiday.

The Grocery Outlet in Dayton was the spot for donating turkeys and canned food on November 13. People donated hundreds of pounds of nonperishable food items and a dozen turkeys for the food pantries serving the region from Mound House and Dayton to Stagecoach and Silver Springs.

In the midst of a turkey shortage, Sierra Meat’s donation of 26 turkeys for the food pantries in Dayton and Silver Springs was especially welcome.

Sabrina Peck of Healthy Communities explained that Greenthumb Industries of Carson City collected donations for three weeks, and then delivered over 274 pounds of canned and boxed food for the food pantries before Thanksgiving. She noted that “their company contribution will help so many in our community.”

In Yerington, the local ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints once again generously provided turkeys for all of the clients of the Yerington food pantry.

Also in Yerington, K-12 schools held a “Stuff the School Bus” food drive in November that resulted in 1,380 pounds of food being donated for the Yerington Food Pantry. Healthy Communities’ school resource coordinator, Leia Wells, said, “students, schools and community came together to make sure their friends and neighbors all have full plates this holiday season.”

Central Lyon County Fire Protection District has an ongoing food drive to benefit local food pantries from November 19 through December 20 this year. Canned food and other non-perishable food items can be dropped off at Central Lyon Fire Station 37 in Stagecoach, and Central Lyon Fire Station 35 in Dayton.

In addition to donations and food drives by groups, individuals make regular donations that are essential to the pantries.

“We are also so grateful for the many community members who donate cash and food on a regular basis to help keep the food pantries shelves stocked,” said Healthy Communities’ Deputy Director Lisa Selmi. “Each of our pantries helps feed hundreds of individuals every week, and food and monetary gifts donated by caring community members are a vital part of making that happen throughout the year.”

Healthy Communities Coalition’s food pantries in Dayton, Silver Springs and Yerington serve thousands of people each month. The Coalition works with USDA, Food Bank of Northern Nevada, partner agencies, local businesses, community groups, and community members to keep the shelves full. The pantries provide more than food. They also provide a hub where community members can come together to share conversation, receive referrals to services, and volunteer their time to help neighbors in need. For more information, see https://healthycomm.org/food-hub/food-pantries/