Empowerment at The Women and Children's Center of the Sierra

“I am a true believer in bringing services to the people, and not making them jump through hurdles to come to us when they are in need,” says Pam Russell, Director of the Women and Children’s Center of the Sierra. “Sometimes women will come into our center, and need help right there and then. On the spot. Our job is to react accordingly.” 

Russell, along with five other employees and volunteers, work tirelessly to do just that: help the community. And they’re making a huge impact, serving roughly 350-400 individuals in the Reno city-wide area every month.

WACCS is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that was founded in 2008, largely in response to the Great Recession. “During that time, poor women – documented or undocumented – were one of the groups that got hit hardest during this time,” Russell explains. The Women and Children’s Center of the Sierra opened up their doors on Neil Road in order to offer help to struggling women in the community.

While the economy in Nevada is booming in certain pockets, not everybody is benefiting equally, and there are fears of a new recession around the corner. Home foreclosures continue to plague Reno communities. Families continue to wait in line at food pantries, and more people than ever are signing up for food stamps and other benefits. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics, Nevada’s unemployment rate in August was 4.4%, compared to the national average of 3.5%. These numbers are much higher among single moms, as many haven’t returned to a job since they were forced to quit during the pandemic.

The Women and Children’s Center of the Sierra serves women who are at or below 185% of the poverty level, equivalent to about $37,000 for a family of three, or a woman with two children. For women living below the poverty line, each day presents new struggles, whether that be meeting the daily needs of themselves or their children, ensuring they have adequate food, diapers, transportation, or even personal safety. 

The Diaper Bank (pictured below) is WACCS’ most utilized service. They provide free diapers at distributions to women who meet their income guidelines. Women can also enroll in a program to receive diapers on a weekly basis. All the women must do is attend a distribution and complete a short intake form with a staff member.

“We distribute roughly 9,000 to 11,000 diapers every month to women and children,” Russell explains. “We also distribute potty training packets to new moms. During the first part of the COVID-19 pandemic, our packets potty-trained 13 children.” Baby formula is also available for mothers and children, an invaluable resource given the recent baby formula crisis.

“Some women can’t afford baby formula to begin with, let alone have the time to spend searching for it everywhere around town,” Russell said.

When WACCS first opened, they offered a Gateway to Success Program to women who were looking to find and stay employed in jobs.

The non-profit offered on-the-job training workshops at a coffee shop and boutique, and also offered GED test prep for women looking to further their education. Unfortunately, this program is no longer offered due to lack of funding.

Despite the lack of funds, this hasn’t stopped WACCS from helping women thrive and take steps onto new career paths. The center houses a hi-tech computer lab, donated by the Katie Grace Foundation, which is open for women to use the computers, printers, and other devices.

Workshops and classes are offered which teach typing skills, as well as help participants build and improve their resumes, apply for jobs online, and even provide insight in ‘dressing to impress’ for job interviews.

There are also classrooms with volunteers and professionals coming to teach a variety of topics, the most popular being ‘English as a second language.’ The classes are currently on halt, but will resume on January 1st.

While the Women and Children’s Center of the Sierra, by name, is geared towards helping women and children, they also serve an overwhelming amount of the unhoused population in Reno.

“The park right next to the center is home to a lot of people living on the streets,” Russell said. “We help anyone who walks through our door to the best of our abilities.”

While conducting the interview, a man came into the center. He asked for a towel and some soap for an unhoused individual living in the park who wanted to take a shower and clean himself up to go job hunting.

WACCS gave him everything the man would need for a shower, including shampoo and other hygiene products, grabbing items for him from their storage room in the back which are donated by the Assistance League. “

We have a man who is currently unhoused and lives in the park next door. He sometimes comes in for food, but shows up on a weekly basis and makes a $5 donation. We call him the Mayor of Neil Road,” said Russell.

“The by-laws say that we are an organization geared towards women and children, which we are. However, we also receive some amount of federal funding for domestic violence victims. We help men who may be in a domestic violence relationship, provide single dads with diapers, and open up our food pantry to them.” – Pam

WACCS’ food pantry serves both women and their families as well as the unhoused community on a daily basis.

“We don’t pre-bag items,” Russell explains. “The food products are out and available for anyone to take, we just ask that they sign their name on the sheet provided so we can track how many people are coming in.”

The concept of allowing individuals to come and bag their own food with no questions asked, helps remove the stigma or fear of judgment surrounding the use of food pantries.

They also have a ‘Karma Box’ – a colorfully painted wooden food pantry – located outside in the parking lot. It remains stocked, and is open 24/7 for people who need food when the center is closed for the day. The Karma Box was sponsored by Broadbent – a Reno-based environmental consultancy firm.

Other local organizations have stepped in to assist WACCS in the past, including Reno Food Systems. “When they still had an operating food truck, they’d come to the center, park out front, and hand out fresh and nutritious foods to the community,” Russell said.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, WACCS was one of the only centers and food pantries to remain open. “Not many organizations were able to do this,” Russell says. “We made it a priority since that was a period of time when people needed help the most. We had to close for two weeks at one point though. For myself, and the other ladies working here, it was the worst time ever. We hated being away from the center, but the women in the community adapted and helped one another during the time we were closed.” 

The winter months are fast approaching which marks a critical and very busy time for the Women & Children’s Center.

“The holiday period can be an especially hard time for the mothers we serve,” Russell said. Kids will go to school after Christmas and compare presents. This leads to children saying things like ‘Santa doesn’t love me as much as the other children’ because they get more or better toys, which is heartbreaking for a mother to hear.”

To combat this, WACCS runs a holiday program to distribute gifts to families, supported by donations from community members and local businesses. “We have one individual that runs gift drives and fundraisers, and donates a big portion of gifts to us every year off his own back,” Russell said.

Center regulars, single mothers, domestic violence survivors, class attendees, and those enrolled in the Diaper Bank program get first priority when it comes to receiving gifts.

WACCS creates a wish list of women and children, so individuals who want to donate can sponsor a family and shop according to their ages or what they need the most. Russell explains how “just yesterday, we had a woman come in wanting to adopt a family. She specifically wanted a young mom with two children.” Some local businesses sponsor multiple families. The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Northern Nevada sponsors around six to seven families every holiday season.

“Can we guarantee help? No. But we do our best to serve them as best as we can. And if we don’t have the resources or services they need, we direct them to a different local organization that can,” Russell concludes.

Our Town Reno reporting and photos by Gaia Osborne

Merlin, Unhoused after his Wife's Passing and His House Sold at Auction

“Normally I go places where they're feeding. Coffee's important in the morning. Normally I cruise like up and around. Lately the park's been, I don't know, it seems like some of the hoodlums are gone, so it's not so bad. You know, you can't turn your back sometimes. Just take your stuff. 

My wife passed away and found out that she hadn't made a house payment in like 42 months. And I called the mortgage company and I was like, ‘Hey, can I get the same deal?’ And they're like, ‘What?’ And I go, ‘She didn't make a payment for 42 months.’ I said, ‘You know, now that she's gone, I said, Can I get 42 months free?’ They're like, ‘No, we're gonna pull it up for auction. You'll be out in 90 days. ‘

I go to St. Vincent's for my hygiene stuff. I go up to Evelyn Mount, take a shower about every third day, because they're charging 10 bucks now. 

Then my laundry, I do on Fridays at the laundromat down here, it's free. 

You get to know all the free, you know, it's like, you know, this guy, this guy works for $18.50 an hour and he's got as much money in his pocket right now as I do in mine, and I don't work. And I got two dollars and 82 cents.  He goes to work 12 hours a day, four days a week. It's like crazy. And he lives in the park. So what does that tell you? 

I haven't been to the homeless shelter because the lady that worked there, that works for the county now, she said, ‘if by all means, if you don't have to go there, don't go there.’ It's horrible. But I haven't been there, so I don't know firsthand. 

She just said, she just told me, you know, she was my case worker way back, three years ago, and I saw her at the senior center and she's just like, ‘If you don't have to go there, don't go there.’ 

But you know, if you have to go there,  then you know, it's covered. It's warm, da da da. Other than that, if you don't have to be homeless, don't be, seriously, I mean, there's a lot of people that wouldn't last two days.

You get used to not having a social life. 

Half these people you don't want to talk to. And the other half, you know, if they're talking to you, they're looking at, you know, my stuff. 

They're trying to see what they could take. If I close my eyes, people are people, well, we're not all bad. All the homeless aren't, aren't creeps and, you know, people have a [perception] about what homeless are and it's like, you know what? You got it wrong. You know, some of us are people that are just down and out for a minute. You know, I don't need your three dollars. You know, I don't need you to give me a sandwich. 

I just need you to leave me alone for a minute and let me be, you know, that's it.”

Our Town Reno reporting by Makayla Hardy

Nevada Marches Forward With Webinars to Create Positive Change

From Zoom webinars to marches, the Northern Nevada Marches Forward Reno-based non-profit organization wants to make sure our society progresses through elections, shared awareness and discussions, rather than veer backwards.

Their mission is to support, spotlight, and uplift the voices and power of diverse people and communities to create transformative social change. By hosting activist marches and monthly educational webinars on a diverse range of topics, Northern Nevada Marches Forward seeks to educate and inform people on how to take individual action and advocate for one another.

The organization began by helping coordinate an annual Reno Women’s March. There have been six editions of the March so far, with the first one having taken place in 2015. Chair of the organization, Jackie Shelton, explains that the Marches were “already being held nationally. Mylen Hawkins, who was a big activist in Reno for decades, brought the Women’s March to Reno, recruiting all of us, which is how we got involved. The beginnings were very much a grassroots effort.” 

The first event in 2015 had thousands and thousands of attendees, marching through the streets of Reno with homemade signs.

“It was really a national movement, and we were a part of that. Our March was just especially large. Especially for Reno, we don’t think anyone was expecting that kind of a turnout,” Vice Chair (and soon to be Chair come January), Jane Grossman (in Zoom screen shot below), says of those beginnings.

“We are not trying to be a be-all end-all,” Jane Grossman says. “We are trying to uplift other groups that are doing great work and bring attention to them by using our growing platform to network and promote.”

The last two Reno Women’s Marches were held virtually, due to COVID-19 lockdowns and stay-at-home restrictions. The most recent event, the 2022 Reno Women’s March, happened in January 2022 through Zoom. The theme was “More Unites Us Than Divides Us”, and many prominent Nevada women attended as speakers, including U.S. Senator now running in a tight reelection race, Catherine Cortez Masto, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen, and Nevada First Lady Kathy Sisolak among others.

“We had people submit photos of themselves from past events which we used to hold a virtual march with music,” Shelton says.

The first five years of the Reno Women’s March was run solely by volunteers, before they became an official and registered non-profit: Northern Nevada Marches Forward. “We realized that the subjects we were talking about were so important that the events needed to be more than just once a year. So we became a non-profit as a way to be more inclusive, since we aren’t just focused on women,” Shelton said.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are the cornerstones of Northern Nevada Marches Forward’s beliefs and advocacy work.

“Every month or so, we host a webinar,” Jackie Shelton explained. “We bring in people from other organizations to talk about a specific issue. We aren’t experts on everything, so we bring in people to talk about particular topics, and we just provide a platform for them.”

Previous webinar recordings can be found on NNMF’s website. Past topics have included LGBTQIA+ ally training, intersections of gender-based violence, the illusion of inclusion, among others.

The first webinar NNMF hosted as part of their Education & Action Series Recordings was titled “Antisemitism is on the rise” and was led by Grossman. She was joined by other Jewish local residents to discuss the rising incidents of antisemitism and how it is impacting the local community and beyond.
“Our Board is quite well connected, but we could always use more people and more diversity,” Grossman said of future events they are planning. “We would love people to recommend issues and speakers to cover them.” If you would like to suggest a future webinar topic or speaker, you can do so through this form.

The next Reno Women’s March – the 2023 edition of the event – will be held in March next year, instead of the usual January, due to more pleasant weather and March being Women’s History Month. March 25th 2023 is the confirmed date for the event, and the processions and speeches will begin at the Believe Plaza in Downtown Reno.

NNMF is also planning on hosting a mixer for any Reno-based local non-profit organizations at the start of December. It will be a way to make new connections and learn about other resources and groups in the community. 

Our Town Reno reporting by Gaia Osborne

George, Avoiding the Cares Campus, Even When Temperatures Dip

As colder weather descends upon us, George shares with us why he'll never return to the Cares Campus facility, whatever the hardships outside, because of the conditions inside, from dangerous drugs to uncleanliness, to the food they serve, to people with mental breakdowns.

“I’m from a little small town. I went to San Francisco, I lived there 22 years. [Being without housing] it's just hard, man…. You gotta try to survive, you know? So it's hard. Very hard. I find a place where I can, you know, just lay down, camp out.

Sometimes they're pretty rude here sometimes. They want to beat you up and everything. You know what I mean? And they got a shelter out here on Fourth Street and that place it's a mad house. It's like a nightmare. I'm serious. It's filthy dirty.

It shouldn't be a shelter. I'm serious. You got some nutty people in there. And that's one reason I came out here. I said, I'm [not] living in there. I couldn't do it. Yeah. It's just too hard, man. Just filthy man. And the people don't do nothing.

And, I’ll tell you another thing, there's a lot of dope coming through there. It's called fentanyl. It's running these people nuts. I'm telling you it, this, it'll kill you. It's killed a few people [there]. It's a very dangerous drug.

It's going to get really, really cold. This is just a taste of how cold it is early in the morning. It gets pretty cold early in the morning, but that's just a little taste of what's coming. It's going to get really freezing: rain, snow, everything. It's going to be rough. But no, I ain't going [back to the shelter].

The food [there] is atrocious. The food is horrible [that] they serve out there in that shelter. I'm not going back. No matter what happens, I'm not going to that place.

They got the housing, but you gotta wait forever to get on there until someone dies or something.

Might get a spot. But it is just hell man.

Reno, I'll tell you about Reno. It's no place to be homeless … not in Reno. I don’t know why I'm still here, but I am."

Humans of Reno reporting by Russ Reinap

Beadles Gives to Lorton, an Unlikely Debate and Firefighters Spray Around Cash in City Council Races

The latest July to October fundraising figures are in for local races, with far-right firebrand Robert Beadles giving mayoral candidate Eddie Lorton $4,799.70 in August, and developers, casinos and firefighters giving tens of thousands of dollars to local candidates.

Lorton is currently promoting an October 27th debate with Mayor Hillary Schieve (see screenshot below) to be moderated by the often quoted by Beadles Nevada Globe, but it seems unlikely the incumbent was even consulted with this idea. We emailed her office but have yet to hear back.

Lorton’s expenses include $42,000 to JB Marketing, as his campaign ramps up its presence on signs, social media and with promotional videos.

Schieve received $5,000 from Elect Oscar Delgado (who presumably won’t need that money for himself anymore, now that he’s stepped down from Council), $10,000 from the Builders Association of Northern Nevada (whose Board of Directors are major developers), and $5,000 from the Reno Fire Fighters Association. She gave a whopping $98,745 to Fong Menante Media, perhaps to be filmed dunking herself in the Truckee River.

Has Mayor Schieve even been alerted to this?

Jay Kenny, the challenger in the Ward 2 race, also got $10,000 from the Builders Association of Northern Nevada, $9,000 from the Bob Lucey Campaign Fund (who lost his primary to keep his County Commission seat) and thousands more from casinos, while spending over six figures with Reach Plus Consulting. His total contributions in excess of $100 for the quarter amounted to nearly $115,000, the highest by far of all Council candidates, with Schieve getting the second most at $45,493.

Kenny’s challenger, the incumbent Naomi Duerr, got just over $40,000, with $5,000 from the Reno Fire Fighters Association, and $2,500 from the Atlantis. Her money mostly went to Tallac Strategies.

In the Ward 4 race, Bonnie Weber got $7,500 from the Builders Association of Northern Nevada, while spending her biggest chunk with Davis Rounds Advertising. Her challenger Meghan Ebert got her biggest donation from the Reno Fire Fighters Association at $5,000 with most of her spending on Lamar Advertising.

While casinos and developers come as no surprise as big spenders, and Beadles has made himself known of late attracting media attention, making websites, sending text messages and flyers to local mailboxes, the firefighters, although of course allowed to do so, it seems put themselves in favorable conditions for whenever their wages and budgets are decided.

Our Town Reno reporting October 2022

Family Soup Mutual Aid Prepares One Year Donation Drive Bash

Family Soup Mutual Aid is a local group organized by advocates, activists, and everyday citizens of Reno. Their goal is to provide the most vulnerable and marginalized members with the necessities and resources they need to survive and be comfortable while living on the streets. Since the project's genesis in October of 2021, Family Soup Mutual Aid has helped hundreds of individuals by serving them hot meals, providing hygiene necessities, harm reduction tools, clothing, and more.

It all began in October of last year, when co-founder Nicole Anagapesis took a visit to the Believe Plaza in downtown Reno. She noticed that the whole plaza had been fenced in, a purposeful move by the city to discourage unhoused individuals from gathering there. This is a phenomenon happening all over Reno, with gates and large rock boulders springing up to purposefully push the unhoused out of public spaces.

Fewer and fewer places became available for them to gather, and Nicole was furious to find out that the Believe Plaza, a popular meeting place, was heading down the same route.

“People are furious. These are moms, everyday people, not just tree-hugging hippie activists,” Nicole said of the volunteers who help. “Regular people from all walks of life are volunteering their time and labor to Family Soup because they realize that something is horribly wrong.”

Nicole approached a couple of people sitting in the plaza, asking them if they needed anything. They told her that a new tent, a tarp, and blankets would be very helpful, to which Nicole told them to come back the following week, and she would have the items to meet their needs. The rest is history. Nicole continued returning to the plaza every Tuesday, putting a call out to her friends and the rest of the Reno-wide community to get involved with the cause. A year on, and roughly 50 to 100 individuals come to distribution on a weekly basis. The evening I met the group at Cypress, they had just finished serving 200 people at the plaza; the most people they’d ever had at distribution since they started.

Nicole (left) joins other volunteers for a post donation drive impromptu photo shoot celebrating their one year of dedication.

Sienna Russell, Family Soup’s other co-founder, explains how the group gained traction at the very beginning of their journey.

“We had these pamphlets made which had information about who we were and our distribution evenings,” Sienna remembers. “I’d keep them in my car, and whenever I saw a panhandler at a traffic light or on a street corner, I’d give them a pamphlet and whatever change I had. If I didn’t have any on me at the time, I would just hand them the pamphlet and tell them to come by the plaza on Tuesday if they can hold out until then.”

Aundi Gonzalez has been involved with Family Soup Mutual Aid for the past three months. “At the very first distribution I went to, I saw one of my neighbors in the line, an elderly man who lives in my complex,” Aundi said. “That made me want to cry because I see him around my apartment complex all the time, and I had no idea he was struggling at all until I saw him waiting in line at the plaza. It makes you realize that this is a problem which is very close to home. Anyone could be struggling and you’d have no idea from an outsider's perspective.”

Lauren Taylor, another organizer, chipped in; “A lot of people come along with their kids and pets. We have childrens’ clothing and dog food available for them, and it always gets cleared almost instantly.”

A volunteer serving hot drinks during a recent night at Believe Plaza.

As well as offering people food and hygiene products, Family Soup also provides warm clothing, jackets, tents, and tarps; essential items to survive the brutal winters of Reno.

“The weather in Reno can get so extreme,” Sienna said. “And not everyone has a closet to store their clothes. Some people are carrying their entire wardrobe around with them.”

In fact, most of them are carrying all of their belongings with them. Everything they own, crammed into a backpack. 

Sienna and Aundi begin to discuss “sweeping” incidents that have occurred intermittently in the city. Sweeping is the eradication, displacement, and eviction through physical force of encampments. Police officers will approach camps and issue an eviction notice; an order for everyone living there to move their tents and belongings.

Aundi distinctly remembers a man who approached her at a recent distribution. “He seemed nervous and apprehensive to talk to me and ask for whatever he needed. But eventually he came over and told me his camp just got swept while he was gone. The cops came and took all his belongings, all he was left with was a backpack. He had nothing.”

Backpacks and belongings, potentially containing birth certificates, IDs, and other important paperwork are sometimes thrown away.

Family Soup Mutual Aid firmly believes direct action is the answer to help those in need. Aside from being very consistent with their Tuesday distributions, Nicole has been regularly attending city council meetings, conversing with council members and using these meetings as a platform to speak out and advocate for change.

They’ve also organized womens’ abortion rights protests throughout the year. The first one took place in May just before Roe v. Wade federal protections were overturned.

Two of the group members, Ria Fraley and Lauren Taylor found out about Family Soup Mutual Aid through the protests, and got involved shortly after.

While some advocates are proponents of voting, Nicole strongly believes that “what you do at a ballot box does less for immediate changes in real time. Discourse isn’t enough, action is what it takes. And when I say action, it can take so many different forms. At its core, it's really about fighting the system and getting involved with grassroots organizations. The most revolutionary thing you can do is talk to your neighbors and see what you can do to help them.” 

Nicole made it very apparent that Family Soup Mutual Aid is wholly based on deficit, and not personal gain. Despite having additional volunteers helping out on Tuesday with distribution, the day-to-day operations and organization are left to eight core members, all of whom already have full-time jobs and other commitments. Sienna is working a full-time job as well as being a caregiver, all the while being heavily involved in Family Soup. Nicole vocalizes that “most of us are living paycheck to paycheck and operating at a financial deficit already. Family Soup is not for the faint of heart, but this project is my entire life.”

So what’s next for Family Soup Mutual Aid? Their next major goal is to establish a commercial kitchen to use, which is proving to be anything but straightforward. “We need local businesses who aren’t working towards a tax break who are interested in helping a community outside of their own personal and political gain,” Nicole said.

A commercial kitchen would make it easier for Family Soup to prepare and cook meals for distribution. The people who attend distribution and receive these meals actively express their wishes to be involved and help with the cooking. “They already help us in whatever ways they can,” Nicole said. “Whether that is helping us carry stuff from our cars, bringing clothes and other items to share with their friends, and advocating for Family Soup by telling others we are trustworthy. We’re helping them, and in turn, they’re helping us. When they express interest in helping in the kitchen, it sucks when we have to turn them down. Everybody wants to be an integral member of society, it’s not a bizarre concept that people want to contribute to the greater good around them.” 

While spending time with these incredible individuals near their upcoming basj at Cypress and seeing them get to work helping people at the Believe Plaza, it’s clear that Family Soup isn’t your regular mutual aid organization.

A real welcoming, family dynamic is at play between the organizers. They urge anybody who wants to give back to the community and help in some way to get involved with Family Soup Mutual Aid.

As well as coming by on Tuesdays to help with distribution, or donating items or meals, Family Soup needs people who are interested in being involved with the day-to-day operations. The menial, thoughtless tasks such as picking up donations, cleaning and sorting clothing, and Costco runs. Young people are more than welcome to come and help. Nicole spoke fondly of a young thirteen-year-old girl named Lilly, who began attending distribution with her mom. Lilly really wanted to get involved and give back, and after only three weeks of involvement, Lilly showed up on Tuesday and handed Nicole an envelope with a $300 check. “She had raised the money for this donation by fundraising herself, I was speechless. It's so cool seeing young people actively express the desire to get involved with organizations like ours.”

Our Town Reno reporting and photos by Gaia Osborne

Sue Smith, a Former Councilwoman Wants Public Involved in Decisions Again

Sue Smith, a former Ward 4 City Council member in Reno from 1987 to 1991, enjoys the UNR campus where she used to be a student, the beautiful fall weather we’ve been having in October, the local arts and theatre community, and so many aspects of the Biggest Little City, but there is one current negative amid all these positives: she believes our local governance needs to open up again.

“I see more and more in the current Council that the public is being taken out of the process. The neighborhood advisory boards, I was on a Neighborhood Advisory Board after I got off of Council, and we would have a project presented to us before it went to the Planning Commission, and we could make comments, and changes were made based on the meeting at the Neighborhood Advisory Board,” she said.  “I think now the Neighborhood Advisory Board is really informational. You have very little opportunity.”

Smith says she feels it’s gotten worse since the pandemic. “The council got used to, I don't know how they were making their decisions, through their phone calls or whatever with each other, but they do not seem to be interested in involving the public in decision making.”

Smith mentioned a controversial apartment complex going up on the corner of Washington and Riverside in the Powning District (see recent photo below). A previous approval in 2006 was for an 11-unit condo, which turned into 34-unit project necessitating the uprooting of old trees across from the Truckee River. 

“They just seemed oblivious,” Smith said of public commenters.  “Now they want to say that this was approved by a previous Council, but it wasn't, it wasn't approved to be what it became by a previous Council. And they, some of the Council people, when you go to the meetings, and especially at this one that I observed, they were an advocate for the developer. And that is very disheartening when you're there for a public hearing to feel like their minds are already made up and they're actually telling you why.”

Memes and angry social media comments have been circulating of late locally after the council members had no votes for Lily Baran’s bid in the Ward 3 selection process to replace outgoing council member Oscar Delgado, despite overwhelming outpouring of support from other community members during public comments.

“Maybe in the selection process, there's a bias about who you would appoint and you want to appoint somebody who thinks like you. It seems like maybe that's human nature, which would be the reason that appointments are not the best way to get the new City council members,” Smith said.  “I also understand their argument that to have an election would be a process that would take a lot of time when [we are in] the middle of an election. So we'd have to wait, We'd have that absent seat for that period of time. So it’s a difficult question, but I do think that what's happening with three of them being appointed, [Devon Reese initially, and Kathleen Taylor to replace Neoma Jardon] within their own group is really like, it's like they're generating their own thought process over and over again. “

Smith also finds it strange Jardon and Delgado quit their terms two years in right before the 2022 midterms. 

“It kind of seems nefarious because, it's like they get to a point, their successor is appointed by all of their friends, which there does seem to be camaraderie. And then that goes into the cronyism, I think we're all experiencing from the people on the city council. So it's highly suspicious. I don't know that anybody has exact proof of what's going on, but I think we're all feeling a little bit like our council members are feathering their own nests and not necessarily looking out for the interests of all of us in the Valley.”

Smith says she misses the time of former Mayors Barbara Bennett (in screenshot above), who inspired public involvement, and then Peter Sferrazza, during whose time she was on council.

Bennett who won her only term in 1979 was often unpopular with business owners as she was concerned by out of control growth and how it impacted water and air quality, as well as access to affordable housing, issues that sadly have been talked about but not effectively impacted by local leadership. 

Bennett, who had a rough life, at one point raising three teenagers after barely surviving a heart attack, got an ethics policy passed in 1982 and pushed to include citizen participation in government.

“I had been involved with city politics because of a project that was built next to my home that did not comply with building codes,” Smith said. “And it was right at the time that the city council had changed. “In that election, Barbara Bennett and Pete Sferrazza were elected. And so there was a change. We started having more of an emphasis on planning. At that point, the planning was being done through Washoe County, so Reno did not have any real say.”

Bennett, she remembers, always met with people and gave them opportunities to be involved.

“Her issue and how she got involved is she lived in a trailer park on Oddie Boulevard. Trailer parks were a temporary use. At any time a developer could come in, tell everybody to move, and the trailers were not easy to move, and she was able to get that law changed and got herself elected to being the mayor.”

Currently Smith says residents and local media should pay more attention to what the city manager and city attorney are doing.  

“When I was on the city council, we were paid $9,000 a year. You gave direction to the city manager, and the city manager ran the city, and that was how that was done. It’s become more complicated, but it really does make a big difference who your city manager is. Of course, then, the city manager is supposed to take direction from the city Council. The other one that I would think is not paid very close attention to is the city attorney. And we currently have a city attorney that is trying to take away public standing in any public hearing. Really what it will do is it will make the only one that has standing be the developer. And so it'll take away appeal … all of those kind of things.”

Smith who had been a social worker and then went into commercial real estate says she’s thought of running again,  but has stopped short of doing so. 

“I’m not going to do that,” she said. “Life moves on. I've got six grandkids and I've got other things that I'm involved in, but I certainly try to give … a piece of my mind on a regular basis.”

To those disillusioned with current practices, she says they should not give up hope, while still pushing for change.

 “You can be involved on the outside as well as on the inside,” she said. “You need to educate yourself about how the system works and take your anger into actually educating yourself as to why things are happening.” She says this was the approach Bennett once took, and that eventually made her victorious as mayor, even though she had lost previous elections for other posts. 

Our Town Reno reporting, October 2022

GreenUP! and Donna Walden, Promoting Sustainable Dining and Making Businesses Greener

“We’re looking for businesses with heart,” Donna Walden says of her drive to make our area greener, by looking for partnerships with local businesses to lessen their environmental damage. “They care about sustainability, they want to know what more they can do to help keep Nevada beautiful for future generations.”

In 2008, Walden founded greenUP! a 501(c)(3) an environmental non-profit organization operating out of Carson City. It was founded to pull together multiple environmentally inclined non-profits in the Reno-Tahoe region to create a coordinated environmental calendar, share information, and promote common initiatives. Since it began, greenUP! has worked in tandem with other organizations in Northern Nevada to encourage businesses to be more environmentally conscious and actively work towards reducing their waste output and resource consumption. 

“Most recently, we’re known for our work with the Nevada Green Business Program and the Green Dining work that we’ve been doing,” Walden explained, listing some of her current initiatives. “We partnered with Western Nevada College to receive federal funding and funding from an environmental protection agency to start a Green Business Program for the state of Nevada.”

The coalition called The Nevada Green Business Program was officially started in 2019. They work with businesses at no cost and their services are provided for free. They assign a sector-specific checklist of best environmental practices that businesses can implement, and then provide assistance and resources to help them complete the checklist.

Once certified, greenUP! helps to promote these passed ‘green businesses’ throughout Nevada. “We’re targeting small to medium-sized businesses,” Walden said. “Big companies usually already have large sustainability teams, like Patagonia for example, and won’t learn anything new from us. So our sweet spot is those smaller businesses.”

Green Dining Nevada is hosting a Community Pledge and Mayoral Proclamation at 12:00 p.m. on October 11th, at the Wild River Grille in Reno. Community members can take a pledge to support sustainable dining, register to receive green dining tips and the first scoop on green events and notifications for new green-friendly restaurants.

The checklist for businesses wanting to improve their green conduct is sector specific, and they currently have 30 different versions available. “There’s pollution prevention, water, wastewater, transportation, energy, and solid waste,” Walden said. “Each category consists of a certain number of core and optional measures that they must do, or could do. Questions such as, ‘do you have a sustainability plan for your company?’ And if they don’t, we have a template they can use to create one.” 

The Nevada Green Business Program consists of greenUP! and seven other partners: The Reno and Sparks Chamber of Commerce, the City of Reno, Envirolution, GreenACT Nevada, Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful, Incline Village General Improvement District, and GRN Vision.

Walden points out that the Green Business Program also helps all of the partners “to build a database in order to collect environmental outcome measures.” The program utilizes an online platform called GreenBizTracker. This program not only makes it easier for businesses to go online, register, track their efforts, and become certified, it also allows the Nevada Green Business Network to collect and aggregate their data in order to measure outcomes from the practices being implemented. That data is then used to report the collective impact that the certified green businesses are having, and how that contributes toward the state of Nevada’s environmental goals.

The businesses greenUP! is currently working with “already have their mind set on sustainability,” Walden said. “Even though there are cost savings and benefits to the businesses, most of them are doing it because they want to do something to preserve the planet.” 

Aside from helping protect the environment and fighting climate change, registering your business as a ‘green business’ can reap many rewards, Walden says. Implementing practices that reduce energy, water, and waste leads to utility cost savings, improves operational efficiency, and lowers maintenance costs to businesses.

Using non-toxic cleaning supplies protects the health and wellness of employees by improving the indoor air quality of workplaces. Walden also outlines the promotional benefits available to businesses who choose to go through the program: “businesses get to be listed on a nation-wide directory of green business programs,” she said. “If somebody is visiting Reno and wants to find a green restaurant, the directory is the first place they’ll look. We also do a lot to promote them other than that. We give them a window clean, a certificate, and lots of social media promo around the business.”

There is a growing trend of consumers wanting to buy from ‘green businesses’, with more than 70% of customers choosing to buy from businesses that are helping to protect the environment, and are even willing to pay more for their products. Donna elaborates: “there have been studies that show that ⅔ of all American consumers would pay more for a green brand, and worldwide, 80% of consumers would pay more at a green business. And that’s because our consumers care about the environment and they vote with their dollars. And also the workers, particularly the youth, care about working for a business that implements environmentally friendly practices.”

In 2019, greenUP! was awarded a $20,000 grant by the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection’s Recycling Program to launch a Green Dining District in Carson City (above). The goal of the program is to engage with restaurants along Carson Street to provide environmental education and lend support to sustainable business practices, such as reducing single-use plastics and composting food waste. The U.S. The Department of Agriculture estimates that the restaurant industry alone generates about 11.4 million tons of food waste annually, at a cost of about $25 billion a year.

One of the programs that greenUP! urges members of the Green Dining District to get involved with is their reusable container pilot. GreenUP! developed a green box to-go program, the first of its kind in the state of Nevada, to give a long overdue option to environmentally conscious businesses and customers who wish to be a part of solutions to waste reduction.

It replaces single-use disposable containers used for to-go orders with reusables ones, closing the loop on our consumption and preventing unnecessary waste from entering our landfills and communities.

“It’s like a library subscription,” Walden said of the program’s procedures. “You go to a restaurant, buy a token, and they’ll give you a box. You can take it home, eat your food, rinse it. When you next visit one of the participating restaurants, you’ll put it in a drop box there. The restaurant will then sanitize it and put it back into circulation.” 

Currently, there are four restaurants in Carson City utilizing this program, and also both Squeeze In locations in Reno.

Great Full Gardens is one of the Reno restaurants participating in collaborative green efforts with greenUP! Photo provided by Great Full Gardens with permission to use.

“We’re looking to get more public support for this program,” Walden said. “The public just has to get used to it. It’s different, they haven’t heard of it. People think it is a good idea, they just need to take action. The concept of buying a token, and bringing the container back just isn’t currently a part of our culture. We have to start somewhere though.” Currently, the program is still in its pilot stage. However, Donna hopes that if more consumers and restaurants get on board and show interest, their goal would be to develop an app rather than using tangible tokens.

This year, greenUP! followed up on the Carson City initiative to get support from the Reno Sparks Chamber of Commerce to bring a so-called Green Dining District to Reno. So far, there are four Green Dining labelled establishments in 10 locations: Buenos Grill, Great Basin Brewing Company, Great Full Gardens, and Squeeze In, with more Chamber member restaurants expected to join in the near future.

“We feel that the greater Reno community is ready to see improvement across the industry in terms of reducing food waste and plastic pollution,” Walden said in conclusion. “We desire to make Reno a more sustainable community and this green business effort contributes towards helping Nevada reach its climate action goals.”

Our Town Reno reporting by Gaia Osborne

Kendra Bertschy, Running for Judge and Doing Good in Her Brother's Memory

Kendra Bertschy, a local criminal public defense attorney running for Reno Justice Court, Department 2, remembers the decisive moment that propelled her into compassionate commitments, including helping foster kids and troubled youths, both as a volunteer and in her work.

She pauses though, before answering, during our outdoor interview, with the Truckee River flowing behind us, and pedestrians walking by.

“When I was in college, my brother was diagnosed with cancer and I think that's a very strong driving factor and influence in my life and has led to a lot of the decisions,” she said, pausing again. “Unfortunately, he did not survive his fight with cancer. And I think part of that and that feeling of hopelessness that I had when we were trying to get him into treatment and trying to find something that worked for him really helped shape who I became. I never want anyone to feel like they are hopeless, like what I felt and what my family felt.”

In the competitive primary in June, Bertschy got 44% over the vote, to Bruce Hahn’s nearly 38%.  Third place candidate Cotter Conway got 18% of the vote, leading to a Bertschy-Hahn face-off in November.

Hahn, has gotten endorsements from notable law enforcement figures in the community, current and recent, as well as since we did the interview, from Conway, and the far-right Franklin Project.  

“I think that with my background of having worked with victims of crime, as well as those accused, I have a broad range of support as well from different organizations,” Bertschy said when asked about some of the law enforcement endorsements for her opponent. “I do have some law enforcement support as well. More importantly, I have support from members all over this community. I've been involved in this community. I currently serve on several nonprofit boards. I've led nonprofit boards. I've worked as a teacher, as an instructor at the University of Nevada, Reno. And so I think that my broad range of support really goes to show that what I want to do is serve this community and that my goal with becoming a Justice of the Peace is to make sure that what we are doing is actually benefiting society, benefiting our citizens, protecting and enhancing community safety.”

Her opponent in November Bruce Hahn has gotten endorsements from traditional law enforcement figures, but Bertschy still finished first in the primary.

On her campaign website, Bertschy mentions another turning point in her outlook. “I once represented a veteran who struggled greatly after returning home from fighting overseas,” the website kendraforjustice indicates.  “He had gotten into some trouble, but the judge, in a move of great empathy, chose to give him a second chance by sending him to Veterans Court where he was connected with the services, supervision, and support he so desperately needed.”

Bertschy was impressed by the role the judge played in that case, making her want to be a justice of the peace herself. 

“We were able to take the issue to the Nevada Supreme court,” she remembers. “We won, we expanded access to veteran specialty courts for all veterans, but the way that the judge handled this case in particular really made me value that role and want to have that impact to want to make sure that we are providing our community members with what they need to be successful. And sometimes that is giving them the accountability, but having the approach necessary to instill that want and that desire to be successful for my client. That's why he was successful. He ran a completely perfect program and now has reunified with his family, has stable employment, has a stable job, has stable housing, all things that he didn't have before coming in contact with that judge.”

Bertschy started her legal career by representing children victims of crime in foster care cases. “So I have that unique background of having worked both with victims of crime and those accused of them,” she explained. “I’ve worked on both sides of civil issues for plaintiff's firms, defense firms, and I've worked on both sides of eviction issues. I've worked for legal aid who are often those who assist with tenant rights and I've worked for real estate. So I have a very balanced perspective that I can bring to that bench.”

Judges in Reno Justice Courts handle traffic cases, small claims, evictions, civil cases and the start of criminal proceedings. “It's sometimes the first opportunity that somebody comes into contact with the justice system, whether it's in a positive or negative manner,” Bertschy explained. “And so that's why it's so important to know who you are electing, because this is the court where it's most likely that you or your loved one, your child, your family, your neighbor, they may … come to court for a traffic ticket. They may come to court because of an eviction matter or whatever. The reason is it's important to make sure that the outcomes or that they felt like they had access to justice, that their voice was heard. And that's what I want to do. I want to make sure that everyone has equal access to justice in my courtroom, that they leave feeling like they were heard, they were valued. They were treated with dignity and respect, which is what all citizens deserve.”

Her extended work with foster kids having experienced trauma gives her the ability “to recognize what is going on with individuals in my courtroom, which I think is a very unique position,” she said. 

A runner and skier who loves nature, Bertschy wants to help shape a better Reno amid rapid change. 

“Some of the things that I absolutely love about this community, I love the different organizations that I've worked with,” she said. “We have so many incredibly smart, talented individuals who all want to make sure that Reno progresses in the best way possible. Some of us may disagree with what they think is best, but I do think that, the community members that I have met all have great intentions with trying to move forward towards progress. It's been exciting to meet the voters and to hear about their concerns.”

A grave concern consists of being the lowest state in terms of access to mental health treatment and the number of providers. “That's something that Reno Justice Court can help assist with is to help access with resources and to make sure that we are addressing our mental health needs through specialty courts, mental health courts, through sentencing options. And just making sure that that is something that is looked at because it needs to change.” 

Being a female candidate is important as well, Bertschy said, noting that in Nevada law schools, females are about half the students, but in Washoe County only 35% of attorneys are female. “There's something going on there,” she said. “And so we do still need to make sure that we are helping to mentor females in our legal profession to help guide them towards different opportunities like running for judge.” 

Our Town Reno reporting, Fall 2022

The Daylovers, Promoting Polyamory from their Reno Base

The Reno couple Jessica and Joe Daylover are in love with each other but their definition of love is not quite conventional. They have redefined their love, rather ‘remodeled’ it. 

The two first crossed paths in 2008 while being a part of the Reno theater community and got married to each other in 2013. 

“We were sort of monogamous by default because we didn't really know any other way. At the same time, it wasn't an explicitly closed relationship either. And all that changed around 2012, 2013,” Joe said of their gradual move further into polyamory. 

They say they were introduced to the concept by some friends three months prior to their marriage. 

“As soon as I heard the word polyamory, I just knew that that's who I always was,” said Jessica. Polyamory is typically defined as engaging in multiple romantic including sexual relationships, with the consent of all the people involved.

It was almost like she had rediscovered herself on hearing the word, she said, though her husband Joe was initially skeptical about it. 

“Suddenly my whole life made sense and how I had shown up in relationships previously made sense. And I was just like, ‘this is who I am. I knew instantly.’ And the more excited I got, the more fearful that Joe became. And that's a really common narrative,” she said during a recent Our Town Reno interview.

“So polyamory is a form of non-monogamy. Non-monogamy is a greater umbrella term under which things like swinging and open relationships or don't ask, don't tell, things like that fall but polyamory is the practice,” Jessica said, offering her own definition.

The couple also define it as a concept of “many loves” in which people can have the openness and willingness to seek multiple kinds of connections which can be anything from sexual, asexual to even just friendships. 

The couple says that they negotiated their way through dismantling “monogamous programming” and figuring out polyamory. 

Joe teaches English at UNR with a different last name and Jessica owns her own digital production company called Home Slice Productions. 

When the pandemic hit the entertainment industry in 2020, the Daylovers launched the Remodeled Love website and project which has a stated goal of expanding “the cultural narrative on healthy relationships, in order to include polyamory, non-partnered, asexual, open, and more. We do this through various multimedia and educational tools, such as comedy sketches, podcasts, memes, and articles,” they write on the front page of their website.

The couple has two sons aged four and one, and they also wrote a book called Polyamory and Parenthood. Their successful social media channels run the gamut from TikTok, with over 70-thousand followers, to a podcast and Instagram with over 20-thousand followers. Some of their TikToks have gone viral earning them being called “one of 10 polyamory experts you should be following” by Cosmopolitan in January 2022.

With their platforms they say they are trying to normalize all kinds of love relationships. They strongly believe that “each relationship becomes tailored to what two people want in it.”

Some of their time is spent responding online and in person to critics of their way of loving. Some of their own family members disagree with their choices.

“It just goes unacknowledged in my family and if it comes up, it is disregarded and shamed,” says Jessica about her family who are from the Midwest. 

“[My family] don't agree with it,” says Joe, who grew up as a Catholic on the East Coast. “I think some of them might try to understand a little bit more and try to be supportive, but it's still coming from this place of, it's weird and strange.” 

Their friends are, however, understanding. 

“Our inner circle is very emotionally intelligent and very evolved and progressive, so we were blessed that our immediate bubble landed more on the side of ‘we don't really get it and I wouldn't do it, but I can totally see that it's the right thing for you.’”

When it comes to their children the Daylovers believe that it will be an interesting situation because they will be growing up with “polyamory as a basis of their comparison not monogamy”. 

“We will have to explain monogamy to them,” Jessica says. 

Joe recently launched a support group called Dudes with Feelings, which is for polyamorous men who may have trouble confronting their emotions or working through them. Meanwhile on two recent social media videos, Jessica asks “Are the Monogs okay?” and “Is Polyamory a choice?”

Our Town Reno reporting by Kingkini Sengupta

Reno Gleaning Project Harvests Extra Fruits to Give Back to Those in Need

On a recent Fall day, with the leaves turning and the sun still shining, Pamela Zamora, the founder of the Reno Gleaning Project led a team of Patagonia employees picking fruit on Reno councilwoman Naomi Duerr’s property. Their total collection was about 120 pounds.

Zamora has been picking fruit on this vast property for over a decade now. Patagonia employees have advocacy hours which allows them to volunteer at an organization of their choice, helping Zamora along. 

“I started the project as a forager, knocking on doors and asking to pick their fruit,” said Zamora of her beginnings in 2009 while on maternity leave. At that point of her life Zamora began to focus on healthy and organic food. She then noticed how much local fruit on urban trees was being left to rot and felt she had to do something about it. “99.9% of people say ‘Yes! Please take it!’”

Volunteers pick fruit with specialty tools made by Zamora’s husband for the non-profit, nicknamed “scepters of justice”. These tools make the pickers more efficient.

The project has advanced a lot since 2009. Equipped with their “scepters of justice” (above) and reusable bags, volunteers pick fruit for those who are unable to, mostly elderly homeowners, and get the excess to those who need it and wouldn't have access to organic, locally grown produce otherwise. 

Erika Tauchen, left, part of the Reno Gleaning Project hands Dominique Buncio, with Patagonia, right, prepare bags for volunteers to put fruit in while they pick before loading it into boxes for donation. 

Providing nutrition to those in need is what drives Zamora and her non profit forward as eating nutrient-dense food reduces overeating of unhealthy food.

“I’m a labor mobilization person,” says Zamora, as the picking proceeds. “Tap into your activism, provide labor for those who grow it,” she said. Zamora urges those who have fruit trees to properly water and care for their trees and those who are able to pick fruit to volunteer. 

A job well done for the Duerrs. More information including signing up for picking or volunteering can be found on their website https://renogleaningproject.org/

Photos and reporting by Ariel Smith for Our Town Reno

Christopher Conway, a Survivor Helping Others With Childhood Trauma

Many mental health issues that people face as adults result from traumas they faced as a child.

Christopher Conway, 56, a therapist, decided to address this problem by creating a foundation based out of Reno that helps people facing such traumas to open up about their experiences and receive resources to be able to manage them. 

Conway started the National Foundation for Adult Victims of Childhood Trauma last year after moving to Reno in late 2020. 

“As a child, I faced sexual, physical and psychological abuse … and have been shamed for it,” Conway told Our Town Reno.

With his non-profit organization which is at a very nascent stage currently, Conway is trying to create a network of people who have a special relationship and understanding with each other.

“Any therapist that we bring aboard has faced childhood traumas themselves and have worked their way through it. So it's that kind of an understanding where we have one adult victim talking with another adult victim,” he said.

Conway, while working with adult victims and their childhood trauma, realized that if one can get back to those traumas and try to isolate the triggers which he calls “trauma triggers,” including rejection, shame and a sense of betrayal, one can go back and recapitulate and use the knowledge of those events to cognitively reconstruct a better understanding of the situations. This may help relieve those triggers he feels. Conway has designed this in the form of a program which he calls “TRT” or “Trigger Response Therapy.”

He says if the traumas are not treated correctly these can lead to more situations of “domestic violence, substance abuse or even social displacement.”

Conway believes that not addressing these traumas adequately and in the right time can lead to adverse outcomes. “It could hit your autoimmune system, and that's something, unfortunately, that happened to me,” he said. “And now my autoimmune system doesn't like me very much.” 

Another issue he confronts like others is what he calls “doctor bullying,” doctors who just don’t take their patients seriously, or believe they have low intelligence, and try to force them in a direction they know will only make matters worse.

Conway says it’s happened to him in Minnesota and here in the Biggest Little City.

“I had to prove to him that I had issues walking, I was outraged,” Conway said of a recent doctor who didn’t believe he needed to be in a wheelchair.

Despite all that he faces , Conway wants to keep serving the Reno community. He does not charge anything to his clients, so he is striving to find resources for his foundation as well as volunteers and collaborators.

Our Town Reno reporting by Kingkini Sengupta

Reno Public Market Faces Delays, Artist and Diversity Concerns

A soft opening for the Reno Public Market is now being reported for November 10th, with a growing chorus of concerns coming through social media and anonymous emails to Our Town Reno.

The delay is apparently centered around how the food hall will be regulated, while many of the fears are about whether the self-proclaimed “electrifying art collective” is “white-centered,” gentrifying and for one emailer an alleged “pyramid scheme.”

One of the art space components will be Makers Paradise, a maker space which will also have classroom, office and lecture spaces, coordinated by an Oakland and Berkeley-based non-profit, still unknown to many local artists.

Another component which has drawn complaints from several artists in the community is locally-based Wandering Wyld which according to a recent This is Reno report “will bring in pieces from its community of 350 working artists, with no less than 60 represented at a time in its retail space.”

Artists and community members who reached out to us or whom we contacted concerning Wandering Wyld all wanted to remain anonymous due to fears of retribution within the Reno arts community.

One community member complained about a model which requires artists to pay to be able to sell and believes it will not work for non affluent, independently rich local artists.

Another member of the community pointed to the mostly white lineup of people featured on the Wandering Wyld Instagram page and website which bills itself as “A MODERN MARKETPLACE, Rethinking retail through pop-up and collective models.”

One local contrasted the Arlington Ave. MasterPeace studio which on its home page has a much more diverse look. It describes itself as a “creative space/showroom located in Downtown Reno,” where creatives can “converge, conversate, and collaborate.”

Another artist complained they got an anti-older artist vibe from Wandering Wyld at previous events, with a hipster bougie hobo prevalence, but didn’t want to be quoted directly or identified.

After we reached out to Wandering Wyld via their website contact page and Instagram, we quickly received an Instagram message signed by their CEO Rachel Macintyre.

She wrote that fees would “vary seasonally and have not been announced to the public yet,” with availabilities for daily, weekly and monthly booth rentals as well as “consignment in our collective (revenue splits vary 70/30 or 60/40 on average. The makers take the larger cut of course). This is [a] great option[s] for makers who don’t want to have to run a booth and are looking for an alternative to wholesale,” she added.

There will also be membership fees of $15mo or $120/year to participate, she indicated, adding: “Members receive access to free business mentorship, TONS [of] vending events around Reno-Tahoe (many of which are FREE for our members), access to our blog, highlights in our newsletter and social feeds with over 12k viewers/subscribers and a listing [in] our makers directory.”

Macintyre wrote other markets have similar models with higher membership fees. “We believe our pricing is incredibly reasonable for the value we offer and [o]f course are always happy to chat with anyone who has concerns,” she wrote. “It is important to note that we are not a non-profit and while our business exists to support our creative economy, we do need to cover our operating expenses and generate revenue to continue growing.”

Its own costs Macintyre writes include “$20K/mo” as “base operating expenses for Reno Public Market” with an investment of “$175k in the build out of the marketplace place at RPM.”

Macintyre also addressed the diversity concerns raised by community members writing: “As for exclusivity, our market is open to EVERYONE. We do have guidelines for what types of goods we allow to be sold in our shop and at our events. All of this information is available on our website. Here is a snapshot: “We exist to support our creative economy. With that in mind, applicants should offer something hand crafted, artisan made and/or sustainably sourced. We encourage artists, creators, curators, musicians and artisan food producers to apply!””

Other artists who responded to our queries said they had never worked with Wandering Wyld before, and had no opinion about it one way or another. A few added it could be difficult for Wandering Wyld to fill its space without a track record of attracting sufficient, regular sales in an area still very much in the throes of gentrification. Those comments were also not to be attributed.

Our Town Reno reporting September 2022

Karen Gedney: A Retired Prison Doctor Still Fighting for Prison Reform and the Incarcerated

Karen Gedney was sometimes called an “inmate lover” for the compassion she had for the prisoners under her care, which was supposed to be insulting. 

However, for her, it was all worth it when the prisoners would tell her how much she had changed their lives. 

“You know not even my mother believed in me, you do,” Dr. Gedney said during a recent interview with Our Town Reno, tearing up and recalling an inmate who after serving his sentence blossomed and got his master’s degree and is now a chief financial officer at a company. 

Gedney’s memories filled a book called 30 Years Behind Bars and there are so many to choose from.

Her second year, she remembers, she was asked to request the drugs for an execution.

 “That is not what I’m here for as a physician,” she said. “I was put there by the federal government to give health care, nowhere did it say I was to be a part of killing someone. I said no, I would not do it, it was against my Hippocratic Oath and in no way part of my career.” 

A screengrab from her website.

Having fewer people in prisons should be one of the main goals of our society, with the United States having the highest incarceration rate in the world.  Gedney advocates for mentoring programs like Big Brothers, Big Sisters and the Boys & Girls Club. 

“They can enable a mentor to be with a kid and can change the kid's life because they see a whole other experience, but also a person who really truly cares,” she said.

She herself, with her late husband, mentored a handful of children who had at least one of their parents incarcerated.  

These children now mostly lead successful lives and some have college degrees and even their own houses at very young ages. 

“I think that society should be set up more in that prevention mode. Schools are unfortunately not really heavily funded for that, but they could be in terms of helping kids after school, in terms of programs, that enable them to get a little bit more help so they can keep up with other children. And the biggest piece is for society to be part of a solution, instead of complaining when the child spins into juvie and then into prisons,” she said.

She said prison reform gets talked about but then never goes far enough, and the same goes for what she calls “prevention.”

“There's so many pieces that could be improved if society was interested in prevention. Unfortunately, politicians tend to like to push a fear button in terms of get tough on crime and put people in prison. And then if someone leaves prison and messes up, that's what they showcase. They don't showcase the energy that goes into preventing people from entering prison or from going back to prisons.” 

Gedney dealt with horrific trauma herself.  “The most challenging experience I faced in the prison was being held hostage by an inmate on Friday the 13th October 1989. He was one of my patients. Being assaulted and raped by that inmate, and then seeing him killed by the SWAT team affected me emotionally, and made me doubt myself. I had to deal with shock, anger and then find forgiveness,” is written on her website. 

Self-care is advice she wants to give young people today. Dr. Gedney’s method is to spend time outdoors and exercising. Laughter was also the best medicine for her own well being. She recalls many funny moments with inmates and other medical staff.

“I never laughed so hard in my life because we used humor to keep us up instead of complaining all the time,” she said.  

In between leisure trips, like a recent one to Iceland, Gedney is also a frequent speaker, guest on podcasts, and a constant cheerleader for the incarcerated and the formerly incarcerated, reminding us to give them all time, care, generosity, love and space to help them redirect their lives and become productive members of society.

Our Town Reno reporting by Nancy Vazquez

The Neighbor Network of Northern Nevada, Helping Each Other and Those in Need

The Neighbor Network of Northern Nevada, or N4, for short, spans across twelve different counties, from Washoe to Elko, and four different programs. Each of the different programs has a unique goal and aim, from a Time Exchange, where volunteers do chores and other labor to gain “credit” to ask for help from other volunteers in exchange, to a Volunteer Village, that partners with local organizations and connects members to ways to help their community and other volunteer opportunities. The third program, Community Care, helps to support adults with intellectual disabilities, adults with dementia or adults diagnosed with both. The most popular of these four programs, though, is N4’s transportation program.

“We have two in-house service types for our transportation program,” Amy Dewitt-Smith, executive director at N4, explained. “For years now, we've had a contract with Lyft to provide a 50 percent discount on Lyft rides to people with disabilities and older adults. Then we also now have a wheelchair accessible passenger van and give rides in Washoe County to people with disabilities and older adults in that van. That's the program that we have close to 200 participants in, and it's probably because it's our longest standing direct service program.”

N4 provides respite care services, where a trained staff member helps watch over the adult, so the full-time caretaker can get a break. The goal in these programs is to maintain the independence of the adult as much as possible. Dewitt-Smith said that their Community Care program is unique among others for not providing voucher services for care of older or disabled adults. 

“We actually hire paid, trained staff to provide the respite care services,” Dewitt-Smith said. “We do give families the option to select who their respite services come from. If they have somebody they're comfortable with, a neighbor, a relative, a family friend or whatever and that person wants to go through our training and come on board, then we will pay that person to do it.”

In other cases, where the family might not have a connection already, N4 will recruit staff members from the community, trying to match the client with someone who’s a good fit. They are currently recruiting Community Care Partners.

N4’s funding primarily comes from grants. The volunteer and time exchange programs only need volunteers, not money, but most of the money for the Transportation Program comes from federal acts and organizations like the Federal Transit Administration. The disability and aging program has gotten some state-level funding, and N4 recently got a grant to help older adults who live with both an intellectual disability and dementia. 

“It’s all about providing specialized, direct services, case management and training to families who have a loved one living with dementia,” Dewitt-Smith said. “It also has some focus on people who have a dual diagnosis of intellectual and developmental disability with dementia. It's just all about that caregiver support and helping people get connected with other resources and services. Helping people who are living with dementia live well and stay in their homes for as long as possible and making sure that their natural support network isn't feeling burdened or stressed out.”

Our Town Reno reporting by Jesse Stone

Victoria Scott, a Car Lover, Writer and Photographer, Picking Reno After Coming Out

Reno’s Victoria Scott, a scientist-turned-writer, is capturing some of Reno’s skyline and signage in her photography. After a career as a software engineer working at NASA, Scott came out as a transgender woman during the pandemic. Scott found going back in person to the Houston office and explaining this unappealing.

With a few years moonlighting as an automotive writer in her free time under her belt, Scott decided to try that route full-time. The remote nature of the new job meant that Scott could work anywhere in the country. 

A subsequent road trip across the nation, admiration for the desert and a friend renting out space left Scott with the impression that Reno was the place for her to move to. Scott thought Reno had some legislative protections for LGBTQ people and a welcoming culture but wasn’t as expensive as spots in California or the Pacific Northwest. Shortly after moving, she started going out at night, taking photos of classic cars on the streets, neon signs or whatever happened to catch her eye. 

“It was like January or February, and I was just sitting at home after working,” Scott said. “I was just like, I need to get out of the house. I don't really wanna go to a bar. I don't really know where else to go. And so I just drove downtown and I'm just gonna go take pictures.”

There are a few different things that give Reno a special aesthetic for photos of the city skyline for Scott. Compared to the other cities she’s visited or lived in, the buildings are closer together than in other cities, and the streets aren’t organized the same way.

“Reno has so many colors and a lot of neon,” Scott said. When I first moved here and I started going out at night after work, it was dark already. It seemed like the perfect environment to go shoot in. I found it interesting. I would go downtown, park my van somewhere, and then just walk around for a few hours and line up shots I thought were interesting.”

In Scott’s photography, vehicles are a common motif, especially older ones. In the photos she takes in the desert, her van is commonly spotted in the background. In photos captured in the Biggest Little City, older cars on the side of the road become the star subject of many of her photographs. Scott said that she feels vehicles are a special kind of consumer good. Looking at a car, anyone can tell if it’s from the 1980s or just a few years ago.  For Scott, including an older vehicle in the photo, combined with the aforementioned structure of Reno’s architecture and streets, creates a more timeless, classic feel to the photography. 

“The cars are a really good way to tie it into that era without saying so much in so many words,” Scott said. “I don't have to come bring a model who's dressed in eighties clothing. I don't have to drop a Walkman somewhere on the sidewalk. The car says all of that for you.” 

Scott’s decision to photograph the local scenery was also influenced by the knowledge there might only be a few years left to take these shots. She feels that neon signage and the other parts of Reno that make the Biggest Little City just a little bit different are slowly going by the wayside, for better or worse.

Not everything has been as she initially hoped though. In fact, on her second trip out of the house after first moving to Reno, she says she wandered into an antique store and chatted with the owner, realizing from his hat and a few SS uniforms on display that the man was a Neo-Nazi. Scott said she feels unsafe leaving her house late at night, and this means that her city photography project has slowed down in recent months. 

“Having lived in a bunch of places and having been trans in a bunch of places, none of this is necessarily a Reno problem,” Scott said. “I think it's kind of a general United States problem. The city is interesting, and I am bummed to kinda see some of that visual interest and character history, whatever you wanna call it, disappear.”

Reporting by Jesse Stone for Our Town Reno

Jessica Castro, Helping Put the Cares into Cares Campus with Birthdays

Every third Wednesday of the month, Helping Hands Loving Hearts Reno has been organizing a birthday party celebration for the unhoused staying at the Cares Campus. 

“I think that birthdays is really important because it’s that we definitely think of family,” said Jessica Castro, formerly unhoused herself and now an advocate and regular volunteer.  “We think of our loved ones. It’s a day that hurts when we're out there on the streets, it's kind of a sad day. It can be because it's a reminder that, you know, life is passing by and we're getting older and we're still out there. I felt like it was definitely a day to be able to celebrate, to make them feel happy about birthdays again.”

The group brings drinks, healthy food, cake, and cheer for those who want to join and celebrate others or themselves.  

Castro says Washoe County now operating the compound has been helpful with this initiative which started in June. 

“They've pretty much given us free range,” she said over the phone with Our Town Reno.  “We’re allowed to bring in fruit, we don't have to ask for extra permission. We don't have anybody overseeing us, like, they don't micromanage us. So far it's been pretty smooth.” 

Castro says people staying at the compound are “shocked” by the kindness.  

“The first couple times a lot of people were like, is this for anybody? Or is this for staff? And I was like, no, this is for you guys,” Castro remembers. “And it just reminds them that they're human.”

Now, hundreds show up when the cake is being cut. Before they leave, the team of volunteers also fill flasks with ice.

Helping Hands Loving Hearts is no longer allowed to do formal community meals outside the compound, with County officials citing security issues, but JP Harvey, also with the group, has taken it upon herself to give more one on one attention to neighbors in need, doing her own daily outreach efforts. 

“She's actually doing more in-depth care where she focuses on them and she tries to help them take every step,” Castro said,  “Like if they need to get to the DMV to get something done, she gets it done with them. If they need to make it to an appointment with ReStart or whatever, she gets them there. She takes them around to look at places that take vouchers.”

The group also regularly hands out clothes and donated food at different parks, and when asked try to fill specific requests, such as shoes or colostomy bags.

Castro also wants to add small gift cards for those whose birthday is in the current month based on their driver’s license, saying it’s also an incentive for them to get one if they don’t have it anymore.  

She’s been working two jobs herself, dealing with rising prices and bills, but still manages to find time for others.   “The fear of being homeless is something that triggers me a lot,” she said. “So I have to really find that balance to make myself feel like, okay, Jessica, you're doing the appropriate things you need to do to make sure that you and your family are okay, and now you have this much time or this much energy to go do this. It kind of reminds me of my past even more when I'm constantly worried about, you know, finances.”

Our Town Reno reporting, September 2022

Jackeline Duron, the Candidate with Lived Experience that Ward 5 Missed

Just last month, Jackeline Duron, 29, was in the running among the three dozen candidates for the Ward 5 Reno City Council seat which fell vacant after Neoma Jordan abruptly stepped down to head the Downtown Reno Partnership non-profit.

Duron was among the top 11 candidates who got at least one vote as part of the internal selection process by council members, minus Jenny Brekhus who boycotted the process.  

And then in a flash it was over, despite a stirring speech via Zoom.

At a public meeting on August 25th, after hearing from some of the candidates and their supporters, the Council finally chose Alexander Goff, Elliot Malin and Kathleen Taylor as the top three finalists to move on for community meet and greets ahead of a decisive interview process and announcement on September 7th.

While the three candidates have since talked about the need for affordable housing, Duron has lived experience, having been unhoused while she was a teenager in high school. After her grandmother had a stroke in Central America, her mom left the United States for a while, and the family could no longer afford their apartment. She ended up moving every other week from one place to another, and at one point sleeping in parking lots in an old Saturn her father had bought for her for several hundred dollars.

“When I was unhoused, all I needed was a home,” Duron, who grew up in Sparks, said.  “Folks don’t just need me, but they need more of us there,” Duron said of the Council, and having a voice included for low income residents. 

Duron believes that the people who are closest to a problem are also closest to providing solutions for it.  She says Council will be missing out on her recent experience of balancing multiple jobs and rising rents, and then having to quit school to make money. She also has many links with residents who were previously or are currently undocumented, giving her needed perspectives on vulnerable populations.

“I was able to get one vote from Council member Reese, who I know is a really big supporter of reproductive justice and the Wild West Access Fund,” Duron said of the one vote she did get.

Duron is currently a community organizer and activist fighting for reproductive rights and abortion access in the state of Nevada and nationally. As a woman of color she has also worked on immigration and racial justice issues.  

While her day job is with a large reproductive rights organization, she says her passion is serving as board Vice President of the Wild West Access Fund of Nevada. The group, the state’s largest abortion fund, is an all volunteer organization supporting those seeking abortions in Nevada, who are either traveling into the state or who live here and need support. 

“We support folks with … travel, if they need it, by either booking their flights or trying to get them gas cards or even things like I did, I think several months ago now, but I drove someone from Reno from their home to West End, which is one of the abortion clinics in town, and stayed with them and drove them home,” she said.

Duron said that following the Supreme Court decision to overturn federal abortion protections, Nevada has seen an influx of travelers coming from nearby restrictive states. 

Duron is no longer in the Ward 5 race but with her passion for many hot button issues, she has not given up entirely on the possibility of running for office in the future. She hopes whoever does get selected will place “people before profit.”

Our Town Reno reporting by Kingkini Sengupta

Last Motels Standing of Reno: The Midtown Motel

friendly strangers 

knocking on the office door, i was greeted by the man who runs this motel, keith

he was the nicest guy you could talk with

he told me that the motel was built in 1951 and that he’s the only one that runs the place

we shook hands and he let me walk around shooting photos

there is so much charm to these old buildings

i could hear people talking about me through their motel room window

“I don't know what’s so interesting, he’s taking pictures of flowers or something” 

i could hear everyone’s tv’s through their windows too

passing by

the news

some sort of drama 

then a cat appeared on the windowsill, staring at me with these deep, yellow eyes 

i met another man named george

he told me from his balcony you could see the aces fireworks every time they win a game

we talked for a few minutes about a few things

housing problems

motels around the area

he excused himself with a great line

“well, i gotta go grab myself a beer”

 i called Keith “Frank” by accident 

he laughed and said “close enough!”

and disappeared to somewhere else lugging around two tv’s 

i didn’t get to say goodbye to him for the night 

Photos and Essay by Jake Lorge for Our Town Reno

NAMI UNR Advocates For Students Struggling with their Mental Health

Recent national surveys indicate 20% of students have had a significant decline in mental health since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and that more than half don’t know where to go for help. At the University of Nevada, Reno, it’s clear from incoming students and those pursuing their studies here, that many share in these difficulties. Steeper and steeper financial burdens with rising tuition and living costs add to the prevailing stress.

Currently, UNR offers counseling services with licensed professionals to all students, as well as a new outreach center in Great Basin Hall called The Annex. It’s a new effort to make it more convenient to access mental health support. It’s open to all students for consultations, workshops, support groups, quiet study areas, and mindfulness activities.

Additionally, the Department of Psychology has a Psychological Services Center, offering treatment, crisis intervention, evaluations and other walk-in services. The Student Health Center offers services and other resources. And now students can benefit from the new group NAMI UNR.

NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) is the largest grassroots organization dedicated to improving the lives of persons living with serious mental illness, as well as their families. Originally founded in 1979, NAMI slowly became the nation’s voice for mental illness, providing advocacy, research, support and education about mental illness. They have grown significantly and have organizations and affiliates in every state.

Our reporter Gaia Osborne recently had the opportunity to interview two of the NAMI UNR Board Members about the work they are doing to advocate and help UNR students with their mental health. Caitlin Shamiya, Vice President of NAMI UNR, is a second-year Honors student, double majoring in International Business and Marketing, with a minor in Arabic. CJ Frasco, Secretary of NAMI UNR, is a second-year undergraduate student who is hoping to apply to UNR’s Nursing School this winter.

G: Can you tell me more about NAMI as an organization, and what its mission is?

CS: Of course. NAMI centers towards individuals struggling with mental health issues, and they use their platform to advocate for those people. I think that a lot of online platforms focus on more common mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety. Not saying that those don’t need to be talked about, but I think it’s super important that NAMI discusses the mental health issues that maybe aren’t talked about as much, and people aren’t educated on. The conditions that have more stigma attached to them. People probably don’t know how to be there for someone suffering with those types of conditions, and NAMI works to educate people who are struggling, but also how to be there for someone else that is struggling.

G: How does NAMI function on a college campus? How has NAMI as a larger organization helped you get started on the UNR campus?

CS: So, we’re fairly new to campus. I remember when Angelina, a graduate student, started NAMI UNR last year. With the COVID-19 pandemic, we found it hard finding a balance between being online and hybrid. There were only a few actual members and board members, so we found it really difficult to grow in the beginning. But this year with restrictions lifting, hopefully we can find some consistent growth and host more events. I think it’s important to have NAMI on campus and have resources for students going through school struggles, and adjusting to campus life and balancing school with time for yourself. I, myself, struggled balancing school with other priorities, and while I did utilize other services, I think NAMI can provide additional help on top of what is offered already.

And NAMI has been very helpful. Our president, Sophia, works closely with NAMI, especially NAMI Northern Nevada, in terms of obtaining information and resources like pamphlets for our club fair. Especially since we are so new, they’ve been helpful and always there whenever we reached out needing help starting up and getting clarification on certain things.

CJ: Our goal on campus is to create a no-pressure, no-stress environment. We host activities and events such as yoga and painting in order to build relationships in a setting that is calming and relaxed, so in later sessions when more serious and difficult topics arise, the relationship and trust has already been somewhat established.

 NAMI has been really helpful, especially with providing NAMI merchandise and products we can use to promote the club and give out at events and club fairs. 

G: Do you work alongside any other on-campus organizations?

CS: Yes! Right now we are club allies with The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance. We are also actively trying to create a better relationship with the counseling department, since they tend to be busy and overbooked at times and students can find it difficult to get counseling appointments and find somebody to talk to. There’s so many students on this campus, and counseling services can only help so many of them at one time.

CJ: Yeah, UNR is a big campus with a lot of students actively seeking out the counseling services. Given that NAMI is fairly new and we aren’t that established yet, we’re still working to make those connections with the counseling center and LGBTQ+ organizations on campus. That’s our main goal this year, so we can build a bigger pool of services and resources for the students. 

G: Why do you think it is important that NAMI is reaching the college student demographic?

CS: I think it is very important, especially since there is this stigma around mental health that attribute those suffering as needing to be “fixed” which isn’t the case at all. The power of presence is so important for people who are suffering. As we mentioned, COVID was a big obstacle for a lot of people, and NAMI’s goal is to cut through that shame and those stigmas and provide a safe, and non-judgmental environment for people.

G: NAMI’s website has a lot of resources for different racial and cultural groups. Why do you think that specific sectors of people are less likely to seek help when it comes to mental illness? How do you think this should be addressed?

CJ: So I can’t speak for all groups, but for me personally, I grew up with South East Asian cultural influence and haven’t had the best mental health experiences given how I was raised. My parents culture surrounded this idea that you have to “tough it out”, and “it’s all in your head”, and not something that can be physically fixed and therefore in a sense wasn’t real. But it’s very much real. When I got to college, that was when I started seeking out resources and discovered NAMI and all these different coping mechanisms, and realized how important mental health really is.Because everybody is so different, and comes from such different backgrounds, it’s difficult to have one clear approach or set of procedures that will work for everybody. I think providers need to be open and understanding of every individual, despite their cultural differences, and treat them as an individual.

CS: As someone who is Middle Eastern, I completely relate to what CJ was saying in terms of this idea of “toughing it out”. Throughout my own mental health journey, I’ve realized that a lot of the resources that I’m so grateful to have here in America, my parents didn’t have access to growing up in Lebanon and Palestine. The supportive environment that I grew up in has allowed me to seek help and therapy when I need, without feeling judged. My parents didn’t grow up in their environment; emotional needs were shut down and hidden away, and they pretended like they weren’t there. They were always there, just not talked about.

I think that it’s important to be aware of the cultural beliefs of someone seeking help. I’ve had therapists who were of the same culture as me – Middle Eastern – and I’ve had therapists that were white. And they actually have been different in their approaches. My first therapist was Middle Eastern, and I would say she was more conservative in her beliefs in terms of respecting my parents for example, and her approaches were centered around the fact that I too, was Middle Eastern. Both approaches were very helpful in different ways, however. I think it’s just important to find the right person; the first therapist you go to might not always be the best fit for you as an individual.

G: What do you think the mental health system should look like in the future? How does NAMI work towards reforming and bettering the system?

CS: NAMI does a lot of work in criminal justice reform for mental illness patients which I think is super important. There are so many cases going back in the years where inmates’ mental health wasn’t taken seriously or accounted for. Especially with drug charges. At the end of the day, mental illness can lead people to reach for external coping mechanisms such as drugs and alcohol. This is actually a big issue in Reno concerning the unhoused community. Members of this community are given all sorts of nasty labels and stereotypes, when most of them are struggling with mental illness. These discussions surrounding reform need to happen if we want to create a better system and be able to help people.

CJ: The justice system is so caught up in the “black and white” of who is guilty versus who is not, and forget that these are real people and that some of them have mental illnesses and require help. NAMI provides resources for these inmates, and helps people who have been pushed aside by society like those in prison or are unhoused.

Our Town Reno reporting by Gaia Osborne