In Business Las Vegas, October 20th, 2006
If hunger can be solved anywhere, it can be in Las Vegas.
Casino resorts already get discounts because of the huge volume of food they buy. Expert chefs know how to safely feed the masses. A public awareness event on the Strip can get national attention.
A new nonprofit organization, Three Square, debuted on Oct. 13 with this vision. A meeting room at the Treasure Island was filled with 80 businesspeople, chefs, nonprofit coordinators and government representatives, listening to its enthusiastic leaders.
“Are you starting to see it? Are you starting to get excited about it?” asked Punam Mather, president of the Three Square board of trustees, in between witty jokes and speaker introductions.
“We can do this.”
Three Square stands for three square meals a day. The aim is to give needy Las Vegas families a reliable source of meat and vegetables, rather than just cheap-and-filling carbohydrates.
A food production facility will be built to collect food and prepare it in ready-to-go meals. Nonprofits that work with hungry families could pick up the food and distribute it.
“Currently the nonprofits are independent of each other and on their own are not able to meet the need,” said Julie Murray, chief executive of Three Square. “There’s so much need, and it’s really hard for some nonprofits to be able to raise money and find the grants.”
Three Square officially launched after the results of a two-year study on hunger was published. Funded by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation — the foundation of the hotelier family — it found that local nonprofit groups are only meeting half of the need of Southern Nevada’s hungry families.
It found more than 100 organizations working to solve hunger in the region. But the study concluded that the fast-growing community is putting more strain on these nonprofits.
At the beginning of the presentation, the audience stared at a slide that said: “Southern Nevada Needs Food.”
Statistics followed: Housing costs are up 37 percent between 2000 and 2004; the median income was down 3 percent in that time; and the area has seen a 17 percent increase in the homeless population from 1999 to 2004.
Leaders want to build a system similar to the Greater Chicago Food Depository.
“They have a world class, state-of-the-art food production facility,” said Mathur, who is the well-known senior vice president of MGM Mirage corporate diversity and community affairs. “We saw that and kept dreaming.”
Perini Building Co., which is in charge of MGM Mirage’s CityCenter, has promised Three Square it will build the facility at cost in two years.
Three Square is seeking donations, but it is waiting until later to announce fundraising goals. Leaders are hoping to obtain a multimillion dollar grant from the Hilton Foundation after presenting a request on Nov. 30.
“Las Vegas has been very good to our corporation,” said Eric M. Hilton, son of Conrad Hilton and a board member of the foundation.
Three Square is seeking donations as well as individuals to serve on its committees. Committees include building, food distribution and transportation, fundraising, marketing and public relations, nonprofit partners, research, special events, Web site and workforce training.
To help or to get more information, contact Julie Murray at (702) 804-5673 or at julieannmurray@gmail.com.
Cristina Rodriguez covers medical and workplace issues for In Business Las Vegas and its sister publication, the Las Vegas Sun. She can be reached at (702) 259-2326 or by e-mail at cristina.rodriguez@lasvegassun.com.
