Over in Sun Valley, the Catholic Charities of Northern Nevada had a grand opening on Tuesday, March 1st for their new Client Choice Food Pantry at the Sun Valley office. They also had nurse practitioners offering vaccines and Medicaid providers for those who were interested.

The new food pantry is much like a grocery store, allowing people to choose their own food instead of receiving a pre-selected or standard box.

Marie Baxter, the CEO of Catholic Charities says "Being able to get those fresh fruits, vegetables, and dairy products as well as those shelf stable items is really going to help address those food insecurity issues."

This way, clients won't have to take items they either already have, don't like or can't eat for health or personal reasons.

Baxter explains "It's a food desert, there's a lot of folks out here experiencing food insecurity whether they are families, individuals or seniors."

Augustina Ramirez, a Sun Valley Resident adds "This is a great service for the community, Sun Valley, Sparks and Reno."

Some residents say the economic impact this pantry will have on their lives is huge.

Baxter tells us "People that never thought they we're going to need supplementary food, they're coming to Catholic Charities now, and this is a great resource for people to come out and get access to things they might be going without... especially right now."

Ramirez shares "They're going to help me economically, especially right now. Right now a lot of people don't have jobs."

This location is 1 of 8 Catholic Charities neighborhood pantries, where people can access food that's close to schools, churches or an activity center.

Michael Murphy, another Sun Valley Resident says "A lot of people can't go anywhere out here, it's closer to home."

The new Client Choice Food Pantry is located on 225 E. 5th Ave. being a one stop shop open twice weekly on Tuesdays and Fridays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

This location also includes additional services such as dental, health screenings, vaccinations, immigration assistance, housing assistance, workforce development, parenting classes and SNAP benefits.

Catholic Charities says people don't need a special reason to benefit from this pantry and they don't have to be registered. There is staff on hand to help them get processed and figure out what they need for both themselves and their family.