Volunteers boost ‘Done in a Day’ food drive in Las Vegas

HELP of Southern Nevada teamed up with 130 volunteers from the Junior League of Las Vegas on Saturday to pack 2,591 bags of nonperishable food collected from Las Vegas Valley food drives to give 1,000 families Thanksgiving meals.

The event was called Done in a Day.

“People want to come help. It’s a very busy day because there’s so much to do and so many bags to fill,” said Joan Lima, community relations manager for HELP of Southern Nevada. “The work that they’re doing is very gratifying because they know that at the end of the day they are helping families make memories with a traditional Thanksgiving meal.”

The Thanksgiving meal program has been in place for more than 30 years, Lima said. Some 80 community partners, including 49 Clark County schools, helped support this year’s effort, she said.

For many low-income families and people on fixed incomes, coming up with extra money to buy that food can be a “tall order,” Lima said, but “everyone deserves to make memories over the holidays with their loved ones.”

The food will be delivered Monday to 1,000 prescreened recipients, Lima said.