Facts

Food insecurity is defined as, “the state of being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food”.  This is a fancy way of saying that an individual is dealing with hunger issues.  This is a problem that is growing not only in our nation, but in Nevada, and Washoe County as well.

  • 1 in every 7 Nevadans facing hunger every day
  • 1 in every 4 children in the Reno/ Sparks area deals with hunger

As of the 2019-2020 school year the Washoe County School District reported 64,037 enrolled students.  Using the formula above that means around 16,000 students are facing hunger in our backyard.  These are your children’s friends and classmates that don’t have a guaranteed next meal.  This number only represents children enrolled in the Washoe County School District, overall around 26,000 kids deal with hunger in the Reno/ Sparks area.  Children who are hungry are sick more often, struggle in school and children under 5 can have developmental delays that stay with them throughout their lives.

Many families are finding themselves in the difficult position of having to choose between food, and other necessities.

  • 69% choose between food and utilities
  • 63% choose between food and transportation
  • 69% choose between food and medical care
  • 58% choose between food and housing (median price for a home in Washoe County is around $400K)
  • 23% choose between food and education