LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Thanksgiving is just around the corner, but for many, the holidays can be a difficult time to celebrate.
To help those in need, the Las Vegas Rescue Mission is stepping up a day early, offering a Thanksgiving meal to the community on Wednesday.
For Tamara Roberts, the mission’s support has been life-changing.
“Dec. 30 of last year, I became homeless when I couldn’t work any longer because I was sick,” Roberts said. “I was walking down the sidewalk with my two suitcases.”
The Las Vegas Rescue Mission assists people like Roberts year-round, offering meals, emergency shelter, and other resources for those facing housing or food insecurity.
“It’s open door to the community,” said Heather Williams, director of development for the Las Vegas Rescue Mission. “If they are not able to have a Thanksgiving meal, they can come down, sit with us, and enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.”
Thanksgiving Day is no exception. This year, the mission plans to serve 900 meals—a notable increase from previous years.
The mission’s on-site housing has also been near capacity for months.
“We’ve started to see a lot more people coming to our regular community dinner every night,” Williams said. “At that dinner, we serve everyone staying in our emergency shelter, and those beds have been filling up more and more.”
Providing a hot meal on Thanksgiving has been a decades-long tradition for the Rescue Mission, helping feed hundreds of people in the valley each year.
For some, it’s about more than just the food—it’s about finding connection.
“It’s kind of hard not having any family,” Roberts said. “But I make these people my family.”
The Las Vegas Rescue Mission will serve Thanksgiving meals to the community on Wednesday from 4 to 6 p.m.
