Carlos Guia, executive chef of banquets and conventions for ARIA Resort & Casino puts finishing touches on a buffet lunch served at Three Square Food Bank.

MGM Resorts International’s hotels are already a go-to destination for planners and attendees of events. However, the benefits of staying at one of the 12 properties in Las Vegas have expanded from convenience and relaxation to including a clear conscience.

On Jan. 17, MGM Resorts announced that the property will be donating surplus hot meals to Three Square, a southern Nevada food bank the hospitality company founded in 2007. The non-profit will serve 800,000 meals over the next two years.

Food insecurity is an issue that means a lot to me, and to the 55,000 MGM Resorts employees who live and work in Southern Nevada,” says Phyllis A. James, chief diversity and corporate responsibility officer of MGM Resorts. “Those who struggle with hunger in this community are our friends and our neighbors. We care about them.”

So, How Does This all Work?

Simple. After receiving the surplus of food from MGM Resorts, Three Square will freeze the prepared meals until a need within the community arises. This is an efficient way of giving meals to those suffering from hunger.

MGM Resorts also presented Three Square with a grant of $768,000. This model will also be expanded to the company’s other resorts, including Bellagio Hotel & Casino, MGM Grand Las Vegas, The Mirage and Mandalay Bay. The program was implemented in ARIA Resort & Casino in 2016.

MGM Resorts has been around this hunger block before—they’ve been consciously introducing food waste-reduction for years. Employees are heavily involved; they have collectively donated over 3.3 million pounds of canned food since 2010, as well as 47,000 hours to Three Square since its founding. MGM Resorts also offers aid for childhood hunger during weekends and summer months, gifting grants of $50,000 each of the last two years for Three Square’s BackPack for Kids program.

Why Does it Matter?

“We are often asked what Las Vegas hotels do with their leftover food,” says Brian Burton, president and CEO of Three Square Food Bank. “Today, we have a consistent, scalable answer to that question, one that will feed more food insecure people in Southern Nevada.”

“I believe those in privileged positions have a moral obligation to lend a helping hand to help pull up those in need,” James adds. “This new development gives us another tool in our collective community arsenal against hunger.”

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