FEEDING LAS VEGAS’ MOST AT-RISK DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Mark and I had the honor of participating in Delivering With Dignity, a program created
as a pilot project from United Way of Southern Nevada to bring high-quality meals directly to the most vulnerable families and seniors in our community who are the safest staying home to avoid the risk of exposure to COVID-19.
This program is intended for people struggling with poverty on a daily basis who are most at risk according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines for contracting COVID-19 if they leave their homes, including the elderly, those with underlying medical conditions and their family members living in the same household.
United Way of Southern Nevada is proud to join with Elizabeth Blau + Associates, Moonridge Foundation, Elaine P. Wynn & Family Foundation, and COPIA to help the most vulnerable Southern Nevadans who do not have access to food receive prepared meals.
These prepared meals are donated by Las Vegas restaurants and are lovingly prepared to comply with an individual or family’s dietary restrictions.
Volunteer delivery drivers are the core of the program, picking up food packages from restaurants and delivering them to individuals in need. And that’s where Mark and I came in!
The whole experience was so rewarding and the logistics provided by United Way were incredible. Mark and I began our shift at 11 am a Valencia Gold where we picked up meals for six households. We were instructed to download the Copia app on our phone, enter a code, and voila….our delivery route was right there for us to follow.
Although our route was scheduled for 2.5 hours, we were able to complete our route in just under an hour. And each stop put us closer to our home, so no time was wasted!
And here’s a big upside for those of us with young children: you can take them with you! Mason was in preschool during our delivery run, but Caleb came with us and snoozed the entire time.
Plus, even though we were six feet away, it was still nice to have a chat with some very thankful members of our community and spread a little joy.
Delivering with Dignity always needs volunteers! If you’re interested, signing up!
