The State of Nevada Board of Examiners on Oct. 29 recommended that the Interim Finance Committee approve a $30,000,000 allocation from the contingency account to support food banks statewide and separately approved a $200,000 allocation to pay active-duty personnel who will help with distribution.

The board took the actions during a special meeting after hearing presentations from state finance staff and leaders of Nevada’s two major food-bank networks. Attorney General Aaron Ford moved to approve the recommendations; both motions passed on voice votes.

Tiffany, a staff member from the governor’s finance office, told the board that the IFC contingency account “only has roughly about $43,000,000 in the, current account that’s available,” and that the office proposed taking $30,000,000 so “we’re taking 30,000,000 out of that account” while leaving funds for other emergencies. She said other state accounts large enough to cover this need would require legislation to appropriate money.

Nicole Lamboli, president and CEO of the Food Bank of Northern Nevada, described how her organization plans to use funds if approved: “We are activating our extensive network of agency partners, which includes our rural partners, and we will be bolstering their food inventory, supporting their distribution efforts within their communities, as well as expanding some of our own direct service programs.” Lamboli told the board the Food Bank will coordinate with schools, senior programs and partners such as Catholic Charities to reach rural populations and those served year-round.

Beth Martino of 3 Square, which serves Southern Nevada, said demand has already increased. “In Southern Nevada, over the last 4 months, we’ve seen a 16% increase of people coming into food pantries,” she said, adding that an estimated 25%–30% of SNAP beneficiaries might attempt to access a pantry if benefits remain suspended. Using rough math, Martino said that if there are about 400,000 SNAP beneficiaries in Southern Nevada, “we would expect somewhere between a hundred and 200000 people that might begin seeking food assistance this weekend.” (Numbers were presented as estimates by agency staff.)

Board members also discussed the state’s ongoing legal action to restore SNAP benefits. The attorney general noted the state sued the federal administration and said there is a temporary restraining order hearing scheduled for the following day. Staff told the board that if federal SNAP benefits are restored, the recommended $30,000,000 would be returned to the IFC contingency or the general fund.

The second allocation — $200,000 requested by the Office of the Military — was described as funding to pay active-duty members to provide services to food-bank partners in northern and southern Nevada. Director Goikert said the office worked with food-bank partners to estimate personnel and infrastructure needs and supported the request.

After the board votes, Nicole Lamboli and Beth Martino used the second public-comment period to thank the state and its partners for the emergency support.

No formal roll-call tallies were recorded in the meeting transcript; both approvals were taken by voice vote and recorded as passing. The board’s recommendations are advisory to the Interim Finance Committee, which must act to release contingency funds.