Questions Linger Despite Karma Box’s Public Relations Push

Board Retreat photo Karma Box posted on social media.

Nothing to see here, folks… just smile for the retreat photo.

We couldn’t help but notice Karma Box Project’s board retreat photo — the kind that looks like it came with instructions: stand close, look proud, project confidence. Message received.

Interesting timing, too, as the organization appears eager to step forward and reassure the community that everything is fine. Nothing to see here. No questions that need to be addressed. We’re curious whether that retreat included a discussion about the full-court PR press now rolling out, featuring women who work with or have been helped by Karma Box Project. One can’t help but wonder: is this an attempt to take the heat off Executive Director Grant Denton and the growing complaints and allegations several women in the community are now making — loudly, publicly, and no longer willing to stay in the shadows Washoe County and Denton once ushered them into? Think May 2024.

Those voices didn’t emerge in a vacuum. They came forward after the arrest of Mathew Grimsley — a Karma Box Project employee who allegedly ran the Safe Camp at the Nevada Cares Campus under Denton — on a battery charge. Grimsley has an upcoming court date. We’re curious whether Par Tolles, the local developer who sits on Denton’s board, plans to attend.

We also noticed Denton recently touting the “200 people housed” during his tenure running the Safe Camp. Unfortunately, those numbers don’t match the figures County Manager Kate Thomas provided to Commissioner Mike Clark — figures Clark later shared publicly on Facebook.

At some point, glossy photos and curated success stories stop working. This moment calls for transparency, not image management.

It’s time for a thorough, independent outside investigation into Grant Denton and the Karma Box Project.
The PR campaign isn’t fooling everyone — and it certainly isn’t fooling us.

No one seems to be able to verify the number in red Karma Box posted might they please provide their data?