LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A Las Vegas nonprofit is celebrating Lunar New Year by giving back.
The Asian Community Development Council is planning to distribute 1,000 boxes of culturally-relevant food to the local Asian Pacific Islander community on Sunday for the Lunar New Year food distribution event.
Duc Phan, a retired Vietnamese American who lives in Las Vegas, said he is excited to pick up his food box on Sunday.
"Asian food for New Year means reunion and family," Phan said.
Phan said he is glad he found this resource because he typically traveled back to Vietnam for New Year's.
"It means a lot, sharing the love in the community" Phan said.
Edelweiss Solano, the director of outreach at ACDC, said the annual Lunar New Year food distribution event sees an increasing demand every year.
"This shows with the increasing number of clients we have served. There is still a need for resources," Solano said.
Solano said many AAPI members in Southern Nevada struggle with food insecurity but she hopes that isn't the case this Lunar New Year.
The food boxes include culturally-sensitive food such as rice, mung beans, soy sauce and more.
Dozens of volunteers were seen preparing the boxes at the warehouse located on Arville near Harmon on Friday.
Honesto Guerrero, a Filipino American resident in Las Vegas, said he's relied on several of ACDC's food distribution events to get by and is more thankful than ever to has his country's food this Lunar New Year.
"It's more expensive than ever and we get the taste of our home country here," Guerrero said.
Lunar New Year in Las Vegas will also be extra exciting in 2024 because it falls on the same weekend as Super Bowl 58, giving fans a chance to experience both sport and culture.
