LAS VEGAS, Feb. 23, 2023 – On Thursday, Feb. 16, Three Square Food Bank hosted its 2023 Agency Appreciation Breakfast to honor and recognize its agency partners and their dedication to the fight against food insecurity in Southern Nevada.
“Our agency partners provide direct assistance to the more than 341,000 food-insecure residents in Clark, Lincoln, Esmeralda and Nye Counties, helping us maintain solid ground for our community to stand on through even the worst of times,” said Three Square Interim President and CEO Michelle Beck. “Thanks to their dedicated efforts, agency partners helped Three Square distribute more than 51 million pounds of food and grocery product, equivalent to 42 million meals, in 2022 alone. And, after a three-year event hiatus due to the pandemic, we are grateful to celebrate the incredible efforts of our agency partners once again at this special breakfast.”
As part of the celebration, Three Square named its Agency Partner of the Year Awardees for the last three years, including: The Just One Project (TJOP) for its work in 2020, the International Church of Las Vegas (ICLV) in 2021 and City Impact Center for efforts in 2022.
TJOP, has grown tremendously since first partnering with Three Square in 2017, offering several programs – such as TEFAP and Golden Groceries – in addition to long-term wrap around services. The nonprofit embodies compassion and collaboration, working with several organizations in the community to reach even more neighbors in need.
“We are honored to be named Agency Partner of the Year for 2020 by Three Square Food Bank as its largest distributor, serving more than 20,000 Southern Nevadans monthly,” said Brooke Neubauer, CEO and founder of The Just One Project. “The pandemic made 2020 an unprecedented year for everyone, especially our community’s most vulnerable citizens, the very clients we serve who were already facing adversity, food insecurity and other challenges. We look forward to a continued partnership with Three Square as we work together to end hunger in Southern Nevada.”
ICLV, a partner to Three Square since 2007, rescues food from 16 stores every week and is known for its innovation and stewardship, which allowed it to remain open and safely serve the community at the height of the pandemic.
“The ICLV Dream Center is a church pantry in our city for our city,” said ICLV Pastor Frank Holland. “While we support Three Square in the belief that no one should go hungry, we also know that teamwork makes the dream work. We’re thankful to be a part of the team that’s helping to help our city one family at a time.”
The City Impact Center, which first partnered with Three Square in 2013, remained open during the pandemic and expanded to help even more families in need. In addition to serving emergency clients outside of normal business hours, City Impact is known for its unparalleled dedication to urgency and transparency, allowing it to double its food rescue efforts.
“Our inspiration to develop programs supporting the unhoused community – including delivering food seven days a week and dedicating one day a week to assist with food, clothing, blankets, hygiene and more – comes from Matthew 25:45,” said Daniel Lee Granstrom, City Impact Center director. “The Bible verse says, ‘And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing help to me.’ It brings City Impact great joy to help the ‘least of these.’”
Three Square also awarded its 2022 Golden Heart to Vivian Chess of Joy Divine Community Church; its 2022 Best of Childhood Nutrition Programs award to Yvonne Alexander of Academic Support and Community Service Center; and its 2022 Excellence in Community Outreach award to the Southern Nevada health District.
For more information about Three Square Food Bank and its agency partners, visit www.threesquare.org.
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