Today is the day - the 33rd annual Share Your Christmas Drive-by Food Drive is now underway.Â
You can help make a difference in our communities by helping to feed families facing hunger by donating either non-perishable food items, money, or both at one of our FOUR donation locations, which are located throughout the region on Friday, December 12, from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m.
We hope you can come out and give. Every little bit counts!
Although the Food Bank of Northern Nevada is at the helm of this event and provides for all locations, each of the four individual donation locations collects donations in the name of a specific charity, who are partner agencies of the Food Bank of Northern Nevada.
The Nevada Governor's Mansion will collect donations for Advocates to End Domestic Violence from 6.a.m to 10 a.m., Friends in Service Helping from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.,  and the Ron Wood Family Resource Center from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Advocates to End Domestic Violence is a private organization that says its mission is to advocate for and empower those impacted by domestic violence and sexual violence by providing crisis intervention, shelter, and supportive and preventative programs while increasing public awareness to break the pattern of violence.Â
The organization says that by working together, we can start here and end the cycle of domestic and sexual violence.
The organization says that in 1979, two members of the community came together in Carson City due to the lack of domestic violence resources, and two years and countless hours of hard work later, Advocates to End Domestic Violence was born and the first shelter was opened and that although services have evolved the mission has remained the same: a respect-driven alternative to living in an abusive relationship.Â
To learn more about Advocates to End Domestic Violence and the programs your donations will help provide click here.
Friends in Service Helping (FISH) is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1979 as a response to the increasing number of homeless and hungry residents in Carson City.Â
FISH says that before their formation, there were several other independent organizations that provided services to those in need. It was in recognizing that demand for services was growing so quickly that these groups, along with VISTA volunteers, and Lea Griffin decided to unite under the name FISH to more effectively serve the community.Â
FISH says it began as a small food closet that quickly grew its mission, and in partnering with Friends of Citizens Under Stress (FOCUS), FISH started offering shelter services in Carson City.Â
They say that after the tragic death of a homeless man during a harsh winter, FOCUS opened its first homeless shelter, a remodeled building at the Stewart Indian School Complex in rural Nevada called "FOCUS HOUSE".Â
FISH says in the early 1980s, FISH and FOCUS partnered to help the homeless and the hungry.
FISH says that as the years have passed and community needs have evolved, so has its mission, which is providing access to food, instruction, shelter, and healthcare to those in the community in need so that they may improve their self-sufficiency through life-changing experiences.Â
FISH says it has grown to become the largest and most comprehensive social services program in rural Nevada, which is primarily possible with minimal federal funding and local donations, such as you can give today.
To learn more about FISH and the programs your donations will help provide click here.
The Ron Wood Family Resource Center is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1995, originally called the "Ron Wood Project", to provide resources to help all aspects of a family to learn, grow, and succeed.Â
The Resource Center was named after Ron Wood, a juvenile justice professional who, throughout his career and up until his death, helped many troubled kids and their families.
Mr. Ron Wood tragically passed after being diagnosed with a terminal disease in 1994. A year later, his long-standing vision of opening a truancy center would evolve into a Family Resource Center for the Carson City Community after it became clear to its founders that truancy was only a portion of the problem.
The Resource Center says that through Mr. Wood's vision, local collaborators, and community efforts, the center was founded and grew into a comprehensive source of education and information for families to obtain services throughout the Carson City area and beyond.
The Resource Center says that it offers bilingual communication and that there is no wait time for its services that social workers and family advocates are available for emergency assistance, information, referrals, and support.
They say that it provides 8,000-9,000 units of service to the community each month, with nearly two dozen Center programs that operate under 15 grants and private donations like those that will be received through today's efforts.Â
The Resource Center says its mission is to create a lasting, community-wide cooperative effort between the private sector and governmental agencies to promote healthy family relationships through education and support services.Â
To learn more about the Ron Wood Family Resource Center and the programs your donations will help provide click here.
