When the staff at Sierra Community House realized we exceeded 1 million meals provided to our community since March 2020 – we were overcome with pride, but also humbled by the magnitude of food insecurity within our community.

Sierra Community House (SCH) is the organization resulting from the July 1, 2019, consolidation of Tahoe SAFE Alliance, Project MANA, the North Tahoe Family Resource Center, and the Family Resource Center of Truckee. Our mission is to connect and empower our community through family strengthening, crisis intervention, hunger relief, and legal services.

Our Hunger Relief Program collects, stores, and redistributes food throughout the North Lake Tahoe/Truckee region. Our services include two weekly drive-through food distributions; one walk-up distribution; a weekly food delivery program, and annual holiday events. Prior to COVID-19, we provided food to approximately 180 households per week. On average, 520 families now access services weekly. This increase in service demand remains steady.

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Some of those meals were for Ana, a former healthcare worker who needed some extra support after retirement. Ana shared: “All the fresh food you have given me has helped so much. I was a nurse who worked my whole life, but in retirement it’s been difficult to keep up with costs. Thank you for what you do!”

SCH continues to meet this unprecedented need through support from many generous funders, such as Vail Resorts Epic Promise, a unique partner in our rural area. EpicPromise Community Impact promotes the health and sustainability of resort communities through multi-faceted and localized support. In 2021, EpicPromise donated $19.4 million dollars to nearly 150 nonprofit organizations.

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The pandemic has presented many challenges, but with the unwavering support of our community and partners, SCH remains steadfast in serving our region through and beyond the pandemic. Visit http://www.sierracommunityhouse.org for more information.

Kristy Oriol lives in Incline Village