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Making burritos, and a difference, for the unsheltered of Reno

KUNR Public Radio | By Kathleen Leslie, KUNR Youth Media
Published December 28, 2021 at 7:00 AM PST
A group of a dozen volunteers walk across a crosswalk with blue coolers.
1 of 6  — Reno Burrito Project, Nov. 14, Volunteers with coolers
Volunteers with the Reno Burrito Project deliver burritos, along with other food and supplies, to unsheltered community members in Downtown Reno, Nev., on Nov. 14, 2021.
Kathleen Leslie / KUNR Youth Media / KUNR Youth Media
Six carts full of varying items alongside one another. There are clothes, shoes, water and food in the carts.
2 of 6  — Reno Burrito Project, Nov. 14, Wagons with supplies
In addition to delivering burritos, the Reno Burrito Project provides various foods and supplies such as clothes and shoes to unsheltered community members in Reno, Nev., on Nov. 14, 2021.
Kathleen Leslie / KUNR Youth Media / KUNR Youth Media
Three people huddle over a table with a large tray of white rice and a tall pot of meat and beans on it. They are scooping the food onto tortillas.
3 of 6  — Reno Burrito Project, Nov. 14, Volunteers making burritos
Volunteers with the Reno Burrito Project prepare burritos right before distributing them to the unsheltered community in Reno, Nev., on Nov. 14, 2021.
Kathleen Leslie / KUNR Youth Media / KUNR Youth Media
A stack of about 100 tortillas. A person’s gloved hand is grabbing one from the top of the pile.
4 of 6  — Reno Burrito Project, Nov. 14, Stack of tortillas
A volunteer with the Reno Burrito Project warms up tortillas for burritos before they are distributed to unsheltered community members in Reno, Nev., on Nov. 14. 2021.
Kathleen Leslie / KUNR Youth Media / KUNR Youth Media
There are four tortillas on top of flat pans covering each burner on a white gas stove.
5 of 6  — Reno Burrito Project, Nov. 14, Heated tortillas
A volunteer with the Reno Burrito Project warms up tortillas for burritos before they are distributed to unsheltered community members in Reno, Nev., on Nov. 14. 2021.
Kathleen Leslie / KUNR Youth Media / KUNR Youth Media
Five volunteers are standing around a table talking. The table has a pot full of beans and a container with rice.
6 of 6  — Reno Burrito Project, Nov. 14, Volunteers standing in a kitchen
Volunteers from the Reno Burrito Project talk while making burritos to be delivered later that day to unsheltered community members in Reno, Nev., on Nov. 14, 2021.
Kathleen Leslie / KUNR Youth Media / KUNR Youth Media

The Reno Burrito Project is an organization that provides many services for the unsheltered, most notably, making and delivering burritos.

Every Sunday afternoon, volunteers with the Reno Burrito Project walk around downtown Reno with their rolling coolers full of burritos that have been handmade and wrapped in foil. Founder Blaize Abuntori wants people to realize that each unhoused person is a human being. Besides delivering food and other essentials, Abuntori prioritizes connecting with each recipient to address their individual needs.

“Originally, I’m from Ghana, West Africa, and so, the first time I came to Reno, I realized a lot of homeless people around,” Abuntori recalled, “and the first question that I asked myself was, ‘Where is their family? Where is their friends?’ ”

Abuntori then took action. He officially launched the Reno Burrito Project about a year ago. Early on, Abuntori worked on the project for 40 hours a week while maintaining a busy work schedule. With the support of people like his landlord, the organization grew.

“He asked me how much I was paying for it. I was still a teaching assistant, and I was really looking at my budget,” Abuntori said, “and he said ‘You know what, this week onwards, I’m going to pay for every single week.’ ”

Abuntori is holding a cell phone that displays a list of numbers in the 200s and 300s.
Kathleen Leslie
/
KUNR Youth Media
Blaize Abuntori, founder of the Reno Burrito Project, shows his method of keeping track of how many burritos are made and delivered each Sunday.

The group’s next goals are to achieve its nonprofit status and get a new location. The program is currently run out of Abuntori’s house, but even without having a dedicated building, the energy is just as vibrant.

Grace Hsin and her daughter joined the other volunteers making burritos in the living room. Community service is an important value for Hsin to share with her daughter.

“I think, the biggest thing is you feel like you’re so small, your efforts so little, but you can bring people some hope and some positive for their life,” Hsin said.

Grace Hsin is wearing gloves and using a red spoon to scoop ground beef and beans out of a tall, large silver pot.
Kathleen Leslie
/
KUNR Youth Media
Grace Hsin makes a burrito with the Reno Burrito Project on Sunday, Nov. 14, 2021.

View additional photos of the Reno Burrito Project’s distribution on Nov. 14 by scrolling through the image slideshow at the top of this story. Over 400 burritos were made and delivered on this day.

Learn more about the Reno Burrito Project here.

Kathleen Leslie is a senior at the Academy of Arts, Careers, and Technology. KUNR’s Youth Media program is a special partnership with the Washoe County School District to train the next generation of journalists.
Tags
KUNR Youth Media Renohomelessness
Kathleen Leslie, KUNR Youth Media
Kathleen Leslie is a KUNR Youth Media reporter.
See stories by Kathleen Leslie, KUNR Youth Media

Learn more about the KUNR Youth Media program

Each fall and spring semester, our dedicated program coordinator partners with the WCSD educator to mentor a select group of high school interns. The internship classes are typically from 2:15 to 4:15 p.m. at the high school, providing a structured environment where students receive comprehensive instruction.

The students are taught radio journalism, broadcast journalism, and media production, gaining real-world professional experience that helps them develop career skills. Students work with media professionals to produce creative audio stories and elevate voices from our region.

As part of the program, students are offered the opportunity to tour KUNR’s facilities and the Reynolds School of Journalism at the University of Nevada, Reno, where they will have the chance to record their broadcasts under the guidance of the WCSD educator and the program coordinator.

This semester-long project is designed to facilitate the airing of the students' stories on KUNR and the publication of their work on KUNR.org. Through this experiential learning approach, students gain valuable insights into public media and develop practical skills using industry-standard equipment.

The KUNR Youth Media Coordinator plays a crucial role in ensuring that students receive scholarly guidance on the standards and practices associated with audio journalism production.

Our program is committed to fostering a safe and constructive learning environment for all participants. KUNR is dedicated to nurturing the creative ideas of students in the program and, prior to publication, KUNR’s Managing Editor reviews all submitted work to ensure that it aligns with KUNR’s established media standards and expectations.

Learn more about WCSD Internships and view the KUNR Youth Media Program’s digital flyer.

This program was formerly known as Reno Youth Radio.

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