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Vegas Valley agencies combating hunger could use your help

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Three Square food distribution
Photo: Three Square / Courtesy

It’s time to officially get excited for Thanksgiving dinner. An overly portioned plate of turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce is only days away. But before we fill our plates, it’s a good time to consider whether our neighbors will be able to do the same.

Three Square, Southern Nevada’s only food bank, currently feeds about 160,000 individuals per week, according to chief operating officer Larry Scott. A good portion of its food supply comes from the government, which purchases food and provides it to food banks like Three Square. The organization also purchases food itself; being a member of the Feeding America network allows Three Square to buy food at a much lower price than what we see in grocery stores.

On the local level, Three Square accepts donations from the public and rescues food from grocery stores—typically product approaching its expiration date or cosmetically flawed.

Additionally, Three Square’s Hot Food Rescue Program partners with such entities as MGM Grand and Caesars Palace to utilize food left over from banquets and conventions.

The process to get food on tables doesn’t end there. Volunteers help to package meals and groceries and then deliver it to partner agencies in the area like Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada.

Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada, celebrating the grand reopening of its St. Vincent Lied Dining Facility

Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada, celebrating the grand reopening of its St. Vincent Lied Dining Facility

“[Three Square] definitely helps us. We’ve been partners for a long time,” says Leslie Carmine, Catholic Charities’ media and community relations director. “They kind of took over fresh rescue for the Valley, because their infrastructure is meant for that; ours isn’t necessarily. When they did that, it was very helpful to us, because we could then focus on what we needed to do and do that well.”

Prior to the pandemic, Three Square had about 180 agency partners that would distribute food to those in need, but due to various issues brought on by the crisis, only about 10 or 15 remained open. In response, the organization immediately set up distribution locations throughout the Valley to get the food directly to the community.

The need during those initial months of the pandemic was visible, Scott says. Lines for the mobile sites were nearly four or five miles long—about 1,000 cars a day came through each site.

“We are a vulnerable economic community. Hospitality richly rewards us, and we are oftentimes the epicenter of economic crisis,” Scott says. “So, as a consequence, the demand on us as a food bank peaks extraordinarily high during these periods.”

That practice has mostly been discontinued, and Three Square has largely reverted to its original system. There are currently 160 partner agencies actively distributing food, and only a few of the pop-up sites remain, which are seeing an average of 250 to 300 cars.

Carmine says Catholic Charities has seen about a 24% increase in households utilizing its service from last year. It has also seen many families new to food pantries that were unsure what to do at first.

Now, as the holidays near, the organization is seeing an increase in demand for its services. Catholic Charities, which started its Thanksgiving distribution on October 25—and will run it through November 24—had served 1,184 households as of press time. That averages out to more than 200 households daily. In a non-holiday month, the organization typically sees between 100 to 150 households daily.

Unfortunately, public donations aren;t as bountiful as they’ve been in years past. Carmine attributes that to recent food supply chain issues and the increasing cost of food. She says Catholic Charities could use more holiday item donations like boxed mashed potatoes and canned foods.

Scott adds that food items such as peanut butter and low sodium items (which Three Square keeps on hand for the elderly) are also becoming scarcer. Moreover, items like rice are tricky to come by due to supply chain disarray.

“The community can rest assured—whether you’re a senior or a child—we will be able to get the food that you need,” Scott says. “We have not failed at any time during this effort. It will cost us more to get it here, but we are prepared, no matter what ,to make sure that the food our community needs is available.”

If you decide to donate, don’t forget about smaller food pantries in the area. Birds of the Air Food Pantry, an official function of Epic Church (which distributes at Good Samaritan Lutheran Church and City Light Church), fed 6,931 individuals in October. Ron Scarpa, pastor at Epic Church, says the smaller pantry could use more donations year-round.

Vegas Valley Church feds about 200 families every month, Pastor Russell Hoyt says. Grocery gift cards help many families in their congregation.

“[Food] allows people to put all of this stress aside and gather around a table and have something nourishing for their family,” Carmine says. “When you don’t have enough to eat you can’t really do anything else. It’s hard.”

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