Catholic Charities of Northern Nevada held a grand opening of a new Client Choice Food Pantry at its Sun Valley Satellite Office on Tuesday.

Much like a grocery store, a Client Choice Pantry allows locals to select their own food from a variety of meats, dairy, fresh produce and non-perishable items instead of receiving a pre-packed or standard bag of groceries.

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."

With this method, locals do not have to take items they already have, do not like, or cannot eat for health or personal reasons. 

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."

The Sun Valley location (225 E. 5th Ave., Sun Valley) is one of eight Catholic Charities neighborhood pantries where clients can access food that is located in or close proximity to a school, church or activity center. 

The Sun Valley Satellite location is a one stop-shop open weekly on Tuesdays and Fridays from 1-4 pm providing the Sun Valley community with a neighborhood food pantry, a variety of services such as dental and health screenings, vaccinations, immigration assistance, housing assistance, workforce development, parenting classes, SNAP benefits and more.