LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Organizing cereal letters in a bowl of milk, or picking out the bran flakes until only the marshmallows remain. These are just some of the childhood memories associated with breakfast cereal that Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada are hoping to recreate for kids.
On Thursday, the local non-profit is hosting a Cereal Drive with the Las Vegas Aviators during Game 3 of the six-game series against the Sugar Land Space Cowboys at the Las Vegas Ballpark. They're asking fans to bring a box of cereal to donate to the Catholic Charities food pantry, and five dollars of every ticket sale goes to Catholic Charities programs that serve an average of 4,000 people daily.
“Cereal is kind of a catch-all," said Leslie Carmine, Media & Community Relations Director, Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada. "You get all those good nutrients. It can be fun. Some of my most fond memories from childhood is having cereal, so we want to be able to give that to families that are struggling, and that are coming in for help. If we can provide some of those essentials, it really does help them feel like it’s going to be OK.”
Food banks nationwide as well as in Clark County are struggling to restock their shelves to meet rising demand. Inflation is crippling donations. More than 332,000 people experience food insecurity in Nevada, according to FeedingAmerica.org. Nevada children make up more than a third of that group. One in six children face hunger in the silver state. In Southern Nevada, about three-fourths of Clark County School District students are registered for free or reduced lunch.
On Thursday morning, local non-profit Chefs for Kids along with the Four Season Hotel Las Vegas cooked and served breakfast to nearly 500 CCSD students and teachers as part of their Free Healthy Breakfast event at Reynaldo Martinez Elementary School in North Las Vegas.
Over the weekend, The Just One Project hosted 14 pop-up mobile markets giving away free groceries to families in need. The non-profit hosts the food bank once every month, and they're trying to restock for September's event.
In September, Three Square Food Bank will honor Hunger Action month with a variety of events. As the largest food bank operating in Southern Nevada, they're always accepting donations.
