COVID-19: Community resources (updated)

Throughout the period of closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ll be bringing you regular updates on community resources and relief efforts.

Please note: Effective March 26 only resources available to everyone, or large groups of people, will be included in this list.

Yelp: List of curbside, takeout & delivery establishments

Resources updated April 13, p.m.

Virtual Town Hall – Friday, April 17 – The COVID-19 Regional Information Center is busy assembling a panel of experts to take the community’s COVID-19 business questions in our second Virtual Town Hall on Friday, April 17 at 1 p.m. This Virtual Town Hall will feature guests from the regional business community, plus local elected officials. Submit a question online for business experts. The first Virtual Town Hall took place on April 10.

Resources updated April 8, a.m.

COVID-19 Relief Fund Established – The Community Foundation of Western Nevada has created the COVID-19 Relief Fund to help meet the needs of front-line healthcare workers. The advisory committee for the fund, which includes representatives from the cities of Reno and Sparks, Washoe County, the Reno-Sparks Chamber, EDAWN and the CFWN Board, will focus initial grants on meeting the needs of healthcare professionals in Washoe County. The Relief Fund will help them by providing support such as hotel rooms, meals, emergency childcare, counseling or other needs so they can stay safe, stay healthy, and stay on the job. People are asked to contribute to the COVID-19 Relief Fund on the Community Foundation Website, nevadafund.org.

United Way Emergency Assistance Fund – The United Way of Northern Nevada and the Sierra has set up The United Way Emergency Assistance Fund to support nonprofits that offer basic assistance and human services to individuals and families. For more information visit the United Way website at https://www.uwnns.org/EAF.

Local workforce development organization helping job candidates gain skills – Pathways to Aviation, a Nevada non-profit organization providing job skills training, workforce and economic development in the aviation and aerospace industry, is hosting an online career planning workshop this Wednesday, April 08, 2020 at 5:30pm.
Visit pathwaystoaviation.org for more info and to RSVP for the workshops.

Desert Farming Initiative offers Food Safety Resources – The Food Safety Program has compiled information to help farmers and food producers increase food safety based on lessons learned from previous food safety outbreaks. With concerns over sanitization and safety related to COVID-19,  they are sharing the resources with the public to help prevent the spread of pathogens through the food they eat. For details visit http://farmnevada.org/food-safety/

Great Full Gardens at the Outlets at Legends has been giving back by providing the community with healthy meals that are donated through their Hero Sponsorship program. The program has already been able to produce 1600 meals to people in need or on the front lines of the pandemic. To donate and sponsor meals to people in need visit www.gofundme.com/f/covid-hero-sponsor. Great Full Gardens is matching donations.

Nevada Cooperative Extension Compiles Many Resources:

Business Development Program

• COVID-19 resources for small businesses and rural development. Visit the Business Development Program page, extension.unr.edu/busdev, for a list of resources.
• Webinars for improving businesses, including ways to increase web presence. The webinars are free, and some are available Spanish, as well as English. Visit the program website for a complete list of upcoming business improvement webinars.
• Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development COVID-19 Economic Impact Survey. Nevada businesses are facing an unprecedented drop in revenue. To allow the state to respond quickly to Nevada’s businesses during this health crisis, the Governor’s Office of Economic Development has developed a survey to help obtain crucial information from businesses. The survey can be found on the Business Development Program website.

Early Childhood Professional Development Program: Early childhood staff, directors, administrators and coaches are encouraged to register and attend the “The Growing Brain” series on Zoom. The free workshops, approved by The Nevada Registry to count toward required annual training hours, will be noon-1 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays, April 21-30. To receive the Zoom link, email Program Officer Cathryn Peshlakai at [email protected]. Visit the program website, https://extension.unr.edu/program.aspx?ID=114, for a complete list of classes.

Grow Your Own, Nevada!: This is an ideal time to get tips on how to grow your own food and start working on your home garden. Free workshops are being held 6-7:30 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays, and 2-3:30 p.m., Wednesdays and Fridays, April 7-May 1 on Zoom. The workshops will provide gardeners and those interested in growing healthy foods with a back-to-the-basics guide to producing bountiful harvests in Nevada. Visit the registration page, http://www.growyourownnevada.com/horticulture-programs/home-horticulture-programs/grow-your-own/, for a complete list of Grow Your Own, Nevada! classes.

Home Food Preservation Program: Spending more time at home provides an excellent opportunity to can or preserve foods. For more information on how to preserve foods and keep them safe during the process, email Home Food Preservation Program Leader Elizabeth Mapula at [email protected], or visit the Home Food Preservation Program’s Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/HomeFoodPreservationLV.

Chef Suzy’s Cooking Demonstrations & Recipes: Nutrition Specialist Susan McClain is hosting cooking demonstrations for school-aged children 4 p.m., Mondays and Fridays. Each 30- to 45-minute demonstration presents three recipes that are easy, simple, healthy, affordable and accessible. Both the live streams and recorded demonstrations can be viewed on the Facebook page for Extension in Clark County, https://www.facebook.com/ClarkExtension/.

Living With Fire: Now is a good time to prepare for wildfire at home and reduce the wildfire risk. The Living With Fire Program will be posting brief video tips on actions residents can take to protect their homes as part of a series, “15 Minutes for Wildfire Preparedness,” on Extension’s YouTube channel. The first tip, “Assess Your Home,” is live now at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HihpnCFEMvk&feature=youtu.be.

Resources updated April 6, p.m.

Reno/Sparks Mutual Aid Needs Community Support — A local community page has been set up on Facebook to bring together both personal and area-wide needs during the COVID-19 crisis.  Reno/Sparks Mutual Aid is hoping to be a place where local community members can both ask for help and provide assistance as issues come up related to the current health crisis and quarantine.  On their Facebook page, visitors will find the following information:“This is a group for neighbors to help neighbors, especially considering what’s happening with COVID-19.  Need something? Have something to give? Willing to give rides or go shopping for folks? Offering childcare? Have vetted information about what’s going on? Know of community resources? Need to reach out? Post it here! We just ask that above all else, you follow Bill and Ted’s maxim of being excellent to each other…” If you would like to help or are in need of any assistance, please join this group at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/186246196158115/

Resources updated April 5, a.m.

PBS Reno’s At Home Learning Meets Demand for Digital Educational Resources — PBS Reno is proud to announce the launch of At Home Learning on PBS Reno Channel 5.3. The launch is the latest feature of Camp Curiosity, PBS Reno’s on-air and online camp designed to supplement the educational needs of thousands of local children who are learning at home due to school closures. For more information visit PBS Reno’s website to explore extended lessons tied to each program viewed that day.

Resources updated April 3, a.m.

In response to Governor Sisolak’s Emergency Declaration, Nevada Health Link announced a limited-time Exceptional Circumstance Special Enrollment Period for qualified Nevadans who missed the Open Enrollment Period. The special enrollment period runs until April 15, 2020. For more information, visit: https://www.nevadahealthlink.com/reporting-life-and-income-changes/

Resources updated April 2, a.m.

Subway Donates Food to Reno Police Department  — The owners of The Crossing shopping center located at Neil Road and South Virginia have set up a program to allow community members to sponsor meals to be delivered to local police departments and eventually other first responders, as well. The meals will be organized and delivered by various Subway restaurants in the area.  For more information or to sponsor meals, please send an email to: [email protected]. A short video on the meal program can be viewed here: https://www.ktvn.com/clip/15035135/subway-donates-food-to-reno-police-department

Resources updated March 30, p.m.

WNDD Posts Small Business Guide to the CARES Act – As small businesses in the United States continue to be impacted byCOVID-19, Congress successfully passed the CARES Act which is intended to assist business owners through various provisions. When implemented, there will be many new resources available for small businesses, as well as certain non-profits and other employers. The programs and initiatives in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act are intended to assist business owners with whatever needs they have right now. A guide has been compiled to help provide information about the major programs and initiatives that will soon be available from the Small Business Administration (SBA), as well as some additional tax provisions that are outside the scope of SBA.
Guide Topics: Paycheck Protection Program Loans, Small Business Debt Relief Program, Economic Injury Disaster Loans and Emergency Economic Injury Grants, Small Business Counseling, Small Business Contracting, Small Business Tax Provisions. This guide is available on line at the WNDD web site www.wndd.org

Resources updated March 28, a.m.

REMSA and the Washoe County Health District have enhanced a 24/7 COVID-19 Community Triage Line to respond to the influx of calls related to COVID-19 (coronavirus). – The phone number is 775-328-2427. Select option 2 for a COVID-19 risk assessment. Community members are encouraged to call this number and speak with non-medical call center representatives with their questions related to symptoms, exposure, social distancing, where to seek care and available community resources.

Resources updated March 26, p.m.

Regional COVID-19 Information Website Launched – The Regional Information Center today launched a regional website for COVID-19 information. The site is https://covid19washoe.com/.

Business Information Network Shares Information for Area Business Owners – The BIN is a statewide network of business, industry, trade and economic development organizations working together to share information and provide resources to Nevada businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Visit the BIN website,  https://www.lvgea.org/covid19/ hosted by the LVGEA, to get the most recent information and to access contacts that you may need as you work through this crisis.

Girl Scouts of the Sierra Nevada Offers Free Virtual Programming – GSSN is offering free, virtual programming for kids, regardless of their relationship to Girl Scouts through the Girl Scouts at Home page. Their badge and patch programs offer a fun and educational way for kids to spend their time and also give them a goal to work toward. GSSN also features free resources and activities from other organizations on this page as well as on Facebook.

Update on COVID-19 Homeless Services – Under the direction of the Washoe County COVID-19 Incident Management Team, a Homeless Services division has been created and is actively working to ensure essential services are provided to our region’s population of individuals experiencing homelessness during this crisis. As part of that of that emergency response, 19 Sani-Hut portable restrooms with hand sanitizer have been temporarily placed in a variety of areas throughout Washoe County to provide individuals experiencing homelessness with access to restrooms. More info.

Complete List of Currently Licensed Child Care Facilities Currently Open Available – For a complete list of currently licensed child care facilities currently open and closed due to #Coronavirus in Washoe County, visit the Human Services Agency’s website.

Nevada Secretary of State announces June 9 Primary Election to be conducted by All Mail – The Nevada Secretary of State, in collaboration with the Washoe County Registrar of Voters Office along with all other counties in the state, have announced the upcoming Primary Election on June 9, 2020, will be an all-mail election. All active registered voters in Nevada will be mailed an absentee ballot for the primary election. No action or steps, such as submitting an absentee ballot request application, will be required by individual voters in order to receive a ballot in the mail. Voters will be able to mark their ballot at home and then return it by mail using a postage-prepaid envelope or by dropping it off in person at a designated county location. This announcement applies only to the June 9, 2020 primary election. Should you need to update your address, mailing address, and party affiliation please visit, www.RegistertoVoteNV.gov as soon as possible. See the Secretary of State announcement by clicking here.

Amazon Future Engineer Provides Free Access to Sponsored Computer Science Courses – for independent learners grades 6-12, teachers who are remotely teaching this age group, and parents. Amazon Future Engineer is offering a virtual robotics program through partners CoderZ and access to EarSketch, a free program that helps students learn to code through music. Keep checking back to www.amazonfutureengineer.com/free-courses to sign up for these programs, and to check out more free computer science programming being added by the Amazon Future Engineer team.

Resources updated March 25, midday

Note-Able Music Therapy Services is providing music therapy and music groups online. Here’s the schedule for the week. https://nmtsreno.org/nmts-adapts-to-keepthemusicgoing/

Washoe County Library Offers Instant Digital Library Card – In order to provide quality free public access to Washoe County residents who may not have yet signed up for a library card, Washoe County Library System has implemented a way for the community to sign up for an instant digital card to access the variety of free resources and digital collections that are offered.  This new access will allow many first-time users to instantly access our digital collection without having to visit a library. Sign up for a card here: https://www.washoecountylibrary.us/services/library-card.php

Cities and County Temporarily Suspend Delivery Hour Restrictions – To facilitate community-wide restocking and delivery of goods and supplies in the Truckee Meadows in response to the spike in consumer demand driven by the COVID-19 pandemic event, the City of Sparks, City of Reno, and Washoe County are temporarily suspending restrictions on delivery hours to local businesses. Through at least April 30, 2020, the region is encouraging local retailers, suppliers, vendors, logistics companies, and service providers to use this operational flexibility to provide for our community as best they can.

Regional COVID-19 Business Operations Guide established – A regional COVID-19 Business Operations Guide has been established to be implemented in Reno, Sparks and unincorporated Washoe County. Please be advised, this document may be updated as the COVID-19 situation changes. Due to health and safety concerns for the public in light of COVID-19, Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak and his administration took actions starting on March 17, 2020 with regard to the operations of essential and non-essential businesses. This guide summarizes operational restrictions and mandatory closures for certain types of businesses during this public health emergency.

Resources updated March 24, p.m.

A Message From Waste Management: Regular weekly curbside collection continues as usual – COVID waste is not classified as hazardous. Please place bagged waste in your bin for regular curbside collection. Out of an abundance of caution and to achieve the Governor’s demand for social distancing many of our customer service centers and transfer stations have temporarily been closed to the public. Please go to www.WM.com/alerts for the latest information. Lockwood Regional Landfill remains open to the public during regular business hours, 8 AM – 4:30 PM Monday through Saturday. Free dump days, which had been planned for the first weekend in April are postponed until further notice.

Washoe County Artist Relief Fund Established – Sierra Arts Foundation is mobilizing a quick-response fund that will help those in the greater Washoe County region’s art community who have been financially impacted by COVID-19 cancellations and disruption of normal operations. We will help as many artists in need for as long as we have funding. Details: https://www.gofundme.com/f/washoe-county-artist-relief-fund-covid19

Attorney General Ford’s Military Program Continues to Provide Services During COVID-19 Pandemic – The Office of Military Legal Assistance will continue to provide services to military members and families in need. In-person legal workshops that help veterans with wills, powers of attorney and other consumer protection matters have been canceled until further notice, but eligible Nevadans may access assistance by phone, email ([email protected]) or going to the Office of Military Legal Assistance website.

Area parks and trails are open, but safety precautions must be taken – City of Reno, City of Sparks and Washoe County Parks and Trails are currently open. Although the parks remain open, it is important to follow the recommendations to help protect public health and prevent the possible transmission of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). More info from City of Reno, City of Sparks and Washoe County here.

Postponement of Annual Real Property Tax Auction – In light of current COVID-19 concerns, Washoe County Treasurer, Tammi Davis, has postponed the annual Real Property Tax Auction, originally scheduled for April 22. 2020. Click here for details.

Notice regarding evictions – Sparks Justice Court and Reno Justice Court are closed to the general public but are still conducting business. Eviction cases will not be processed quickly. However, they will still be processed, and eviction orders will eventually be issued in appropriate circumstances. More information on Reno Justice Court and Sparks Justice Court hours can be found here.

To our Reno friends without shelter–below is the list of restrooms around town – They have hand sanitizer in them. Handwashing stations are coming.
Bathroom locations
1. Gateway Park (Sparks)
2. Glendale Park (Sparks)
3. Lillard Park (Sparks)
4. East end of the Truckee River bike path near Larkin Circle (Sparks)
5. The Community Assistance Center at the Gate (Reno)
6. Right outside of the CAC on each corner outside of the shelter campus (Reno) – 2 stations here
7. Right outside of Record St. on each corner outside of the shelter campus (Reno) – 2 stations here
8. Valley near Catholic Charities (Reno)
9. St. Vincents (Reno)
10. John Champion Park (Reno)
11. Mill & Edison (Reno)
12. 3rd Street Walking Path (Reno)
13. Mill End (Reno)
14. Pickett Park (Reno)
15. Behind Aces “The Wall” – 2 here (Reno)
16. Behind Aces “The Wall” – 2 here (reno)
17. Behind GSR (Reno)
18. Downtown Bus Stop (Reno)
19. Believe Sign (Reno)

Resources posted March 24, a.m.

Attorney General Ford Monitors COVID-19 Related Scams — Nevada Attorney General Aaron D. Ford recently provided more information on how his office continues to monitor and investigate potential fraudsters related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) as they receive complaints. Nevada consumers should be cautious of these fraudsters who may text, email, use social media, or come door-to-door to promote scams as they use deception, ask for victim donations, or offer advice on unproven treatments or send harmful attachments and links. Call (888) 434-9989 for assistance and more information.

Amid COVID-19 Lockdown, Western Nevada Development District Announces Four-Month Grace Period On Business Micro-Loans — The WNDD provides short- and long-term, fixed-rate, low-interest loans to qualified borrowers interested in the creation of new small businesses or the expansion or retention of existing small businesses. This action is to reduce the stress and burden to make these loan payments when the flow of revenue has virtually stopped or been drastically reduced.

Well Beyond Dental Issues Call to Action for Personal Protective Equipment Donations  — PPEs are in extremely high demand right now. Frontline healthcare providers need the type of PPEs dentists use and have access to the same limited supply as dentists. Well Beyond Dental in Reno will donate up to 75 percent of their inventory of PPE to Renown and asks all the dental offices in Northern Nevada to follow suit. Contact Brian M. Wiltshire, Operations Officer at 775-997-6206 for more information.

Reno-Area Church Promotes Connection and Inspiration with Virtual Sunday Services — During the COVID-19 crisis, Convo Church is moving their Sunday services online. Community members can tune in on Sundays at 10 a.m. at convochurch.com/online to connect with others while listening to messages of hope, support and love.

Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada Asks for Community Support of Local Relief Efforts — Message from EDAWN: There is no doubt that many of our small businesses will not survive this crisis and that means many of the employees in the region, our neighbors and friends, will be unemployed for what could be months. If you are in a position to help our community, you are encouraged to consider supporting one of the many efforts to do so. We recommend both the United Way of Northern Nevada and the Sierra (UWNNS) Emergency Assistance Fund and also the Community Foundation’s Charitable Relief Fund. You can find more information here: United Way Emergency Assistance Fund and COVID-19 Relief Fund.