Andrea Wilkinson/Nevada Sagebrush
Pack Provisions as it stands on Monday, Oct. 8. The Greater Nevada Credit Union donated $5,000 to Pack Provisions.

Pack Provisions is expanding to help University of Nevada, Reno, students with their food insecurities with the help of a $5,000 donation from Greater Nevada Credit Union.

Pack Provision is a program sponsored by the Associated Students of the University of Nevada to help students on and off campus to obtain meals, clothing, hygienic supplies, school supplies and other basic essential item a student needs in their everyday life. A study conducted in 2016 by ASUN Center for Student Engagement, the Office of Service-Learning & Civic Engagement and the Office of Student Persistence Research found 21 percent of students have inconsistent or insufficient food available for them. In 2016, 23 percent of the student body received assistance from Pack Provisions.

Students who struggle with food and supplies may go to the third floor of the Joe Crowley Student Union during hours of operation with their Wolf Card and fill out a question form in order to receive supplies they need.

Pack Provisions has a program known as Mobile Mondays for students at the university to obtain healthy food options. The event is set up similar to a farmer’s market for students to pick out produce without charge. The event highlights and sponsors the Student Health Center,  SNAP Outreach workers of the Food Bank of Northern Nevada and Desert Farming Initiative.

Other efforts by Pack Provisions include their donation opportunities. Pack Provisions sporadically will allow students dining at the Downunder Cafe to donate their unused swipes to the program to allow student to have meals on campus.

The ASUN food pantry first started in 1993. Fourteen years later, the food pantry moved to the Joe Crowley Student Union. By 2011, the Center for Student Engagement partnered with the food pantry. In 2015, the food pantry’s name changed to Pack Provisions and began a partnership with Food Bank of Northern Nevada. A year later, Pack Provision started to offer supplies to students that were not food related.

Greater Nevada Credit Union begun to partner with the university in 2012. They first worked with the school’s marching band until it began to branch other to other divisions. Since then, Greater Nevada Credit Union has raised over $195,000 in support of the marching band. Greater Nevada Credit Union also works with the university’s Money Mentor programs. In August 2018, Greater Nevada Credit Union built a physical location on campus.

Pack Provisions is volunteer-based. Currently, 13 student volunteers staff the window at the food pantry in the Center for Student Engagement in the Joe. To learn how to donate, volunteer or receive food from Pack Provisions, go to unr.edu/student-engagement/engagement-support-services/pack-provisions.