DO THE MATH, IN ONE DAY: Hundreds Community Volunteers + Thousands Community Food Donations Feeds Families at Ronald McDonald House for the Year
While you’re out shopping for the most famous football game of the year, pick up an item for the House! Imagine buying all your groceries for the year on one shopping day. For the Ronald McDonald House® of Greater Las Vegas, that day is Saturday, Feb. 1. Help pack our pantry shelves!
LAS VEGAS, NV (Jan. 8, 2014) – All participating Smith’s Food & Drug locations throughout the greater Las Vegas area will be hosting an annual food drive for Ronald McDonald House Charities® (RMHC®) of Greater Las Vegas on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2014, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., in recognition of National Food Check-Out Day. With the big game on Sunday, Saturday is the perfect day for grocery shopping at Smith’s and helping out Ronald McDonald House® too.
Volunteers will be on hand at Smith’s Food Stores to provide information and assist shoppers in making their donations – more than 300 volunteers make this food drive possible sorting, stocking shelves and more. Ronald McDonald House Wish Lists will be available as patrons enter each Smith’s store, at the RMHC volunteer table, inviting them to pick up items for families staying at the House as they shop.
“This annual food drive fills our shelves and keeps us stocked for the year so families have breakfast, snacks, and other meals as needed,” says Alyson McCarthy, Executive Director of the Las Vegas Ronald McDonald House. “Volunteers work hard to sort, count, and put items away at the House, while hundreds more collect items at each Smith’s location. It is truly a day of collaboration and good will as thousands across the area donate food and supplies. Our community’s generosity will shine
brightly on Feb. 1!”
Food Check Out Day is recognized by the National Farm Bureau as the day of the year when most Americans will have earned enough income to pay for their yearly food supply. This is the 13th year Las Vegas Smith’s stores have supported the Ronald McDonald House annual food drive, which stocks the shelves with non-perishable and frozen food items, paper products such as toilet paper and napkins, and cleaning supplies. In 2013, we received around 40,000 pounds of food and more than $13,800 in cash donations!
The Ronald McDonald House of Greater Las Vegas provides a “home away from home” for families who must travel to Las Vegas to receive critical medical treatment for their children. These families face great hardship while their children undergo hospitalization or out-patient care for serious illness or trauma, and the Ronald McDonald House offers a place of comfort and support while they’re away from home.
Support from the food drive helps families by insuring they have food readily available without additional expense, as well as laundry detergent and other items. With their basic needs met, families are able to focus on what matters most – the health of their children.
For Volunteer Opportunities, please contact our Volunteer Manager Christine Fernandez at 702-252-4663, ext. 5 or christine@rmhlv.org.
Wish Lists will available at Smith’s locations on Saturday, Feb. 1. Click here to see online event information.
About RMHC® of Greater Las Vegas
Believing that every child deserves a comfortable and supportive place to grow, Ronald McDonald House Charities® (RMHC®) of Greater Las Vegas is a non-profit, 501c3 organization that creates and supports programs that directly improve the health, education and well-being of children in our community. We fulfill our mission by providing a homeaway- from-home at the Ronald McDonald House® for families who travel to Las Vegas to receive critical medical treatment for their children, and manage programs that service the immediate needs of children and families in our community. For more information, visit www.rmhlv.org.