Charity group to open Dayton thrift shop

The Friends in Service Helping organization plans to open a new food bank and thrift store in Lyon County on Friday, creating a welcome place for thousands of its customers who previously drove to Carson City for help.

The small, blue building along Highway 50 in the Dayton area will open as the FISH Lyon County Food Bank and Thrift Store. The store will operate with two full-time employees, but will rely on volunteers to help in its daily operation. A meeting will be held at 9 a.m. Wednesday at the new site, 4960 Highway 50, to recruit anyone interesting in volunteering.

By setting up shop at the old M & M Tire Store, Executive Director Monte Fast said the site can better serve the more than 1,800 people from Lyon County who sought emergency services and help at the FISH Carson City facility last year.

Though the immediate area has experienced a boom in new construction and an influx of working families, the county is home to many families who need assistance, Fast said.

Fast is relying on the surrounding neighborhood residents to donate items to the store. The donation drive-up will be open beginning Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

Betty McCully, of Dayton, pulled up to the store Monday afternoon with a car load of items and quickly became enlisted as the first volunteer at the new site.

"I like working with the public, I really do," McCully said. "It gives us something to do, so you're not sitting around doing nothing."

Beginning Friday, the thrift store will be open and those in need can begin receiving food supplies and assistance.

Fast is still uncertain about what services FISH will be able to offer Lyon County residents at the site. He anticipates the site will provide educational assistance and several options for those seeking help. He is planning to meet with Lyon County human services officials Wednesday to discuss what cases FISH can refer to the county.

Up to this point, Lyon County hasn't been willing to meet with the FISH organization about the new site, Fast said. "They didn't exactly invite us in, let's put it that way," he said. "They don't quite know how to react to us yet."

In Carson City, FISH has an agreement with Carson City which allows the organization to offer a variety of services, including mental-health counseling, rental and utility assistance, hot meals, homeless sheltering, education and transportation assistance.

FISH is a locally operated nonprofit organization based in Carson City. To volunteer, call 882-FISH.

You can help:

To volunteer, call 882-FISH.