MGM Las Vegas Strip casinos celebrate food donation goal

MGM Resorts International has exceeded its goal of donating 5 million meals to communities where it operates resorts by 2025, the company announced Monday.

The company’s Feeding Forward program has been successful in both donating food that would normally go to waste and levying about $375,000 in grants to organizations that fight food insecurity in Southern Nevada and elsewhere. Approximately 1.2 million meals were donated in 2023 alone, the company said.

Nonprofit Feeding America estimated in a 2023 survey that one in eight Southern Nevadans struggle with food insecurity.

Jyoti Chopra, the company’s chief people, inclusion and sustainability officer, said in a statement that this program is a facet of MGM Resorts’ goal to be socially responsible.

“This incredible achievement is the result of innovation, creative drive and the hard work of our people, all of which allows us to recover food of all types at a significant scale and help our neighbors struggling with food insecurity,” Chopra said.

Food insecurity on the rise in Las Vegas

Unused food from resorts that the company operates like Bellagio, MGM Grand and Luxor went to Three Square Food Bank, which distributes food to people who need it and other food relief organizations. Because of MGM Resorts, Las Vegas’ Ronald McDonald House Charities was able to give out about 5,200 meals to children through its Taste of Home Dinner program, an executive said in a statement.

Beth Martino, president and CEO of Three Square Food Bank, said in a statement that MGM Resorts’ help has been much needed. Food insecurity is only increasing in the Las Vegas Valley, she said, which makes efforts like these more important.

“The significant efforts of MGM Resorts International in combating food waste have resulted in hundreds of thousands of pounds of food donated annually, providing invaluable support in our mission to achieve a hunger-free community,” Martino said.