‘Families will be fed’: Catholic Charities gets $2.1M boost for upgrades

Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada will get much-needed upgrades thanks to $2.1 million in federal spending, Rep. Susie Lee, D-Nev., announced Monday.

Funds from federal community projects will go toward installing a new elevator for residents in the organization’s three-story St. Vincent Apartments, which provides 120 affordable housing units for low-income individuals, as well as upgrading its food pantry, which serves around 150 families each day.

“The people that we’re serving are making decisions about whether or not they can eat and pay their rent and buy their medication and get their kids food to go to school every day,” Deacon Tom Roberts, CEO of Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada, said at a news conference Monday. “Those are the kinds of lives that this money is going to touch.”

St. Vincent Apartments is 25 years old. Without an elevator, residents with mobility issues are limited to the first floor, said Lee, who helped secure funds through her role on the House Appropriations Committee. The waitlist for those with disabilities is much longer compared with those who don’t have mobility issues, according to Lee.

Their Hands of Hope Community Food Pantry will receive $850,000 of the $2.1 million investment for new shelving, new appliances and increasing the pantry’s capacity.

In Southern Nevada, more than 6,000 individuals experience homelessness, and more than 274,000 people continue to face hunger, including nearly 94,000 children, Lee said.

“No one should worry about keeping a roof over their head or putting food on their plate,” Lee said. “And thankfully, today’s new investment will help Catholic Charities continue the incredible work you’re already doing.”

At the food pantry, which is designed to operate like a grocery store, people can pick up a grocery basket and walk through the shelves, where canned and dry goods are stocked, such as macaroni and cheese, green beans and rotini soup. At the far end of the pantry, fresh fruits and vegetables are available. A refrigerator is stocked with beverages, such as La Croix and protein shakes, and a table offers a variety of Keurig cups. A large crate includes Easter baskets, which volunteers will begin to distribute this week.

“The way that they’ve designed the pantry and they operate the pantry really provides dignity for people in need,” Lee told the Review-Journal. “They provide them with fresh food and fresh options, healthy options and healthy choices.”

Lee underscored Nevada’s housing crisis and its shortage of 84,000 affordable housing units. She said that she will continue to work to bring federal investments to the Silver State.

“I don’t know about you. It’s tax season, I don’t like sending tax dollars to Washington and not see it come back to our state,” Lee said.

Las Vegas resident Erlinda Reyes has been volunteering at the food pantry for six years, and she said the work the volunteers do to help people experiencing homelessness is amazing.

“I don’t know who else is gonna help them,” Reyes said. “They have a central place to go where they can get food. They will know that their families will be fed.”

Roberts said the services the Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada provides is available to anyone.

“We don’t check religious ID cards around here, so whoever needs help and hope can always get it,” Roberts said.

To visit the Hands of Hope Community Food Pantry, people can call to schedule an appointment at 702-387-2291. ID and proof of address is required. The pantry is open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on the last Saturday of every month.

Contact Jessica Hill at jehill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jess_hillyeah on X.