Why many Nevadans are contending with worsening food insecurity: “They have no choice at all”

Las Vegas — Army veteran Earvin James Sr. never pictured himself in a Las Vegas food pantry. But with a fixed income and rising grocery prices, he had no choice. 

“Because you go to these stores now, a pack of toilet tissue costs you $8, and it used to be $5 for a 12-pack,” James told CBS News. “Everything is going up in this country except helping out the senior citizens.”

Most of the food at the Helping Hands of Vegas Valley food pantry comes from the Three Square food bank, a nonprofit that supplies nearly every major food pantry in Southern Nevada.

“We’re already hearing from our partners that they’re feeling the strain of rising demand, more people coming in the door needing help,” said Beth Martino, president and CEO of Three Square.

President Trump’s recently passed tax and spending plan, the “big, beautiful bill,” significantly changes the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, formerly known as food stamps.

States will pick up much more of the SNAP costs, and there are new, stricter requirements for recipients.

“In a state like Nevada, we have very few options to raise more revenue to meet the financial demands of a program like SNAP and Medicaid,” Martino said. “So the future for a lot of those people is very uncertain.”

The warehouse at Three Square felt the pinch in June when it had to contend with smaller food pallets.

“We were facing a real crisis with not having enough food on our shelves to meet the need,” Martino said.

According to an analysis in May from Three Square, about one in seven residents in Southern Nevada is food insecure, meaning they do not know where their next meal is coming from. This year, child hunger rose to 22% in the region that Three Square serves, up from 18% in 2024, according to nonprofit’s data. 

“It was very difficult to ask for assistance,” said Clara Blackwell, a volunteer at Helping Hands.

Blackwell knows the courage it takes to walk into the pantry and ask for help. Her husband, son and granddaughter all died within weeks of each other. On a fixed income, she now volunteers here to help others find what kept her afloat.

“Lately, I’ve seen a lot of people coming here,” Blackwell said. “They have no choice. They have no choice at all. I said, ‘Well, you know what? Come reach out and see what you can get.'”