Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada celebrates 83 years of service with ‘Feed Vegas’ event

Kamari Esquerra
·2 min read

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada (CCSN) is celebrating 83 years of feeding the Las Vegas valley with its annual “Feed Vegas” initiative. The celebratory meal honors the nonprofit’s decades of service while continuing to provide food and other resources to the Las Vegas community.

“We’re celebrating the nearly three million meals that we serve every year in the community,” said Leslie Carmine, Director of Media and Community Relations for CCSN. “We’re celebrating our 83rd anniversary and in doing that, we are inviting our clients to celebrate with us by holding this special “Feed Vegas” event. We’re highlighting and celebrating all our food services that we provide throughout the community.”

Chefs arrived early Tuesday morning ahead of the event to prep the service meals, which consisted of 340 pounds of barbeque short ribs, 224 pounds of grilled chicken breast, 225 pounds of potato au gratin, and 175 pounds of lemon pepper asparagus. And you can’t forget dessert—strawberry shortcake. Executive Chef Jun Lao has worked with CCSN to provide food services to the community for nearly 16 years, spending nine to ten hours each day prepping and preparing free meals.

“To me, it means a lot because most of our clients are less fortunate, and they don’t have anywhere to go to get a meal,” said Jun. “A menu like this is a treat for them.”

About 50 volunteers will serve the “Feed Vegas” meals to the more than 600 attendees. Guests will also receive a special “Feed Vegas” commemorative T-shirt.

The service and giving back doesn’t stop once the “Feed Vegas” event concludes. With rising inflation impacting food and grocery costs, CCSN continues to offer free meals to the community on a regular basis through its various food service programs. More than 2,400 meals are delivered to homebound seniors each day through the Meals on Wheels program. Its Hands of Hope Community Food Pantry provides more than 4,000 families with monthly groceries. The nonprofit also serves daily meals from its St. Vincent Lied Dining Facility free of charge.

The “Feed Vegas” meal begins at 10 a.m. All are welcome to attend and dine.

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