Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada has been serving meals to food-insecure people for six decades, as of this year. Through its Hands of Hope food pantry, the group projects it will distribute some 3,500 frozen turkeys this Thanksgiving.
The nonprofit recently put out a call for donations from the community, citing the effects of rising food prices as making an unusually heavy impact on vulnerable populations.
To quantify that need, Catholic Charities CEO Sara Ramirez said, "On average, we serve about 450 individuals a day, and in just the last six days, we've had a 60% increase, where we are doing 650-700 lunches a day. And that's just in one of our programs."
At Thanksgiving time, people often think of sharing their bounty with others, but Ramirez said the need for community support extends well past the holidays.
"The reality is, our work is 365 days a year, and in April and May, we're still going to have 4,500 people we serve a day, and we just don't have the resources to hire all the staff to do that," Ramirez said.
Indeed, she said, Catholic Charities would prefer to have volunteers serving meals so that donations can go to direct client services. Volunteerism, she added, "is the heartbeat behind the mission."
To find a nonprofit to support this holiday season and beyond, visit Charity Navigator or Volunteer Match.
Guest: Sara Ramirez, CEO of Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada
