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Just a Small Town Girl, Shopping in a COVID World

by Kimberly Perera

Wynn Employee Foundation Assistant Director, Ariel Spicer has been spending her time grocery shopping for vulnerable families in her rural hometown of Beatty, NV. Beatty is so small that it doesn’t have a regular grocery store; residents usually travel to Pahrump or Las Vegas once or twice a month to grocery shop!

Ariel shared that the only grocery store in Beatty closed when she was in 3rd grade; and remembers the many trips she made with her family into Las Vegas or Pahrump for commonplace grocery and pantry items. Ariel grew up accustomed to shopping for a month at a time; having a stocked pantry and an extra freezer in her hometown is commonplace!

When COVID-19 forced the state of Nevada to close down for all but essential businesses, the townsfolk of Beatty were presented with an even greater hardship than making a 70+ plus mile trip to the store…They were arriving, and the shelves were empty! As many families can only afford to take one trip a month to the big city, Ariel began shopping for fresh produce, fruit and other staple items here in Las Vegas. She has been making deliveries to some of the more vulnerable families in Beatty on the weekends!