Food boxes available at the Second Farmers Market. Photo Courtesy from UNLV Food Pantry. 

Food insecurity in Southern Nevada has been increasing, due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the rise in cost for food. However, UNLV organizations such as the UNLV Community Garden and the UNLV Food Pantry have done their part to help students and the community around UNLV fight food insecurity. 

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Andie Davis, UNLV’s Rebel Root's Club president, teaches students how to grow produce and helps fight food insecurity within the Las Vegas community through an on-campus community garden. Those who work on the community garden hope to help create a sense of community, sustainability and learning among faculty, staff and students through the common goal of producing 100% organic produce.  Located right next to the Rebel Recycling Center, the community garden features 41 raised beds, which is a form of gardening where soil is put above ground level. Any UNLV student can participate in the beds, and any Registered Student Organization can sign up to have a bed. 

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Students working in the Garden. Photo Courtesy form UNLV Garden. 

“The garden helps every single person that walks in, whether or not you’re there to grow your own food and learn how to grow your own food, you can do that or you can show up and give service to the garden itself,” Davis said, “What it adds to the UNLV community is pretty immeasurable, because it shows that you can grow your own food in the garden. As long as you have water and lots of sun, you can grow anything you want. It really shows people that you can grow things in the desert.” 

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Davis has also taken it upon herself to increase the accessibility of the food from UNLV students, to the surrounding community. 

“We were a part of the second ever farmers market that was put on by the UNLV Food Pantry in conjunction with Three Square Las Vegas, where Three Square provided all produce and donations, and the great thing about this farmers market is that it's open for everyone,” Davis said, “You don't just have to be from UNLV, it was open to anyone from the community who wanted to drive up and get free produce.”

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With the Community Garden continuing to grow, Davis wants the garden to be a communal place for students to relax as well. 

“There's not much shade there and it's already getting pretty hot in Vegas and it's hard to expect people to come out to the garden if it's too unbearably hot,” Davis said. “So we're currently trying to get a shade structure approved as well just to make it so it's a little bit easier for people to come to the garden when they want to. With the remaining funding that I have, I am trying to get furniture to make it more of a communal gathering space.” 

With this shade structure, she hopes more students and RSO’s will come out to the garden and help it flourish to serve UNLV and the surrounding community, and provide fresh, organic produce to those who need it. 

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UNLV Food Pantry’s Bed in the Garden. Photo Courtesy from UNLV Garden.

The UNLV Community Garden partnered up with the UNLV Food Pantry, another organization that helps fight food insecurity at UNLV. The food pantry at UNLV serves all students, staff, and faculty. It is a free resource for food assistance up to once per week, to reduce spending on groceries, to learn about healthy options, to try new food items, and to reduce the chances of going hungry since finances can be tough for students and staff alike even prior to the pandemic. 

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“This is something that can really aid anybody who might be tied on finances or even need support in getting ideas on how to prepare food. We offer recipes as well, in addition to food assistance,” said McKenzie Mayor, a registered dietitian and the head of the Food Pantry. “The types of food items that we offer here are both shelf stable. We even have refrigerated and frozen items available, including those of all of the different food groups. We do also focus on nutrition, being the majority of the staff here all in the nutrition program, we do also promote education on how to eat better on a budget. You utilize the ingredients that we have at the pantry to prepare healthy meals and also learn about ways to incorporate more of a variety into the diet.” 

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The Food Pantry is conveniently located by University Center and Naples, which is just in between Thomas and Mack and the library. Traveling down University Center, it is in close proximity by walking distance to the library or Thomas and Mack sites of campus. Currently, the pantry is open Tuesday through Friday, and the pantry updates the hours each semester depending on student worker availability. Otherwise, they open during summer, spring and winter breaks. 

The pantry has a variety of options for those who would like to take advantage of it. The pantry offers all the different food groups that are in accordance with MyPlate. 

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“We do have dried pasta, rice, cereal products, fruits and vegetables that we have in canned versions or in a jar, or if it's for jams and sauces. We also have protein and dairy products,” Mayor said. The pantry asks for very limited information to receive food. Students must show proof that the individual is enrolled or employed by UNLV by showing their RebelCard, and the household size to know how much food to supply.

 

“We want to discreetly support anybody and make them feel welcome, and not embarrassed to use a service like this. We are just trying to get more people to know that this is something they don't have to feel ashamed of using. It is something that we hope more people would spread the word about, and be able to use it. It's free and we want everyone coming in to feel welcome and take away more than just food, and also learn about healthy eating in the process.” 

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