Beyond the Spectacle of Reno, Friars’ Pantry Assists the City’s Vulnerable

St. Thomas Aquinas Cathedral in Reno, Nevada

Reno, Nevada is known for casinos, entertainment, and the surrounding mountainous landscape. Thousands of tourists from around the country flock to Reno each year to enjoy everything that it has to offer. But Reno is also facing a number of social challenges, one of which is poverty. Many denizens of Reno simply cannot afford basic day-to-day necessities. The Friars’ Pantry at St. Thomas Aquinas Cathedral in Reno is working to provide these individuals with at least some of these necessities.

The landscape near Reno

Rector of the cathedral, Conventual Franciscan Friar Thomas Czeck and his fellow friars do their best to embody the Franciscan tradition to serve others. The Friars’ Pantry is a natural outgrowth of this tradition. It offers a gamut of non-perishable food items as well as diapers.

In recent years, some of Reno's poor have been forced to live in tents

But the need in Reno is great and supplies at the Friars’ Pantry are dwindling. St. Thomas Aquinas Cathedral is therefore calling out to the community for donations of diapers and non-perishable foods (everything from tuna to chili to powdered milk). Volunteers are also needed to help staff the pantry during its open hours.

(Sources of all related images on webapge and homepage: www.stacathedral.com, MichaelOnTheTrail's photostream on flickr.com, www.telegraph.co.uk, and thetraveltourguide.blogspot.com.)