Two reports show that one in eight residents and one in six children in Nevada do not know where they will get their next meal. Feeding America says 373,370 people are food insecure. 122,450 of them are kids.

"We see it every day and definitely, it's been a tough year," Jocelyn Lantrip, Director of Marketing for the Food Bank of Northern Nevada said. "We've seen record numbers."

FBNN covers 90,000 square miles of northern Nevada and eastern California. It serves 107,000 people every month. 

"That number is 4,000 higher than it was at the highest of the recession, so we know things aren't better yet and we're just really thankful that the community is willing to come out and help us," Lantrip said.

Many children rely on their school lunches to get the proper nutrition. The Washoe County School District offers free lunch, this year, because of the pandemic. It also partners with the food bank to provide other meals, including before and after school.

"I can't even stress enough how important it is to have that access to meals during their school days as they need it to focus, they need it to be productive," Shirley Kakowsky, Director of Nutrition Services for WCSD said.

FBNN partners with 150 agencies and has 40 pantries with the school district.

"We have programs in place to be able to support the families, as well as the students' success," Kakowsky said.

Since school is only in session on weekdays, children and their families often rely on other sources for their meals on the weekends. Catholic Charities provides groceries at its food pantry and prepares daily meals at St. Vincent's Dining Hall. 

"We see a lot of preschoolers, a lot of people with infants and children that are really young but also in the dining room, we'll see an occasional but we know that people take a lot of to-go meals from here," Marie Baxter, CEO of Catholic Charities said. "You might see somebody come in and take four or five meals, so we know that they are certainly taking them to their families, for children of all ages."

Baxter says the organization serves a lot of the homeless population but that most are working adults who are having a hard time making ends meet. She says high rent and gas prices may cause some families to buy less-expensive food that is not as nutritious. That is why events like the 2 News Share Your Christmas Food Drive are so important. The community donates food and money to the food bank, which distributes the food accordingly. One dollar provides three meals.

"Those high quality, shelf stable foods and fresh fruits that are going to be donated tomorrow, that's what's going to make a difference for months to come," Baxter said.

The Share Your Christmas Food Drive is Friday, December 10 from 6:00am to 6:00pm at Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, The Governor's Mansion in Carson City and the Carson Valley Inn in Minden. People can also donate money by texting "SHARE" to 50155.