Just days after MGM Resorts International announced the temporary closure of all its resorts in Las Vegas and other parts of the U.S. including the Mid-Atlantic area in response to the coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak, MGM National Harbor briefly reopened its doors to donate food to the local community. This week, MGM National Harbor contributed 22 pallets of food to community partners such as Nourish Now. The food will provide more than 45,000 meals to Maryland area residents.
“This unprecedented climate has paralyzed communities locally and nationally and there is no greater time than now to exercise the meaning of community,” says Melonie Johnson, President and COO of MGM National Harbor. “Partners like Nourish Now extend deep into the community and providing local families with access to healthy meals is more significant than ever.”
To assist in this effort, Brett Meyers, Nourish Now founder and executive director, contacted local catering and food donor partner Simply Fresh Events who immediately jumped in to support these efforts. Simply Fresh Trucks, along with Nourish Now vehicles, arrived at MGM National Harbor acquiring and transporting approximately 55,000 pounds of food to Nourish Now warehouses for meal prep.
“We at Nourish Now are thankful for partners who are always there to give back and support our mission to end food waste and hunger,” says Meyers. “Because of our existing relationship with MGM National Harbor, it proved to be a quick and seamless process that now allows us to get meals to families in need much quicker, which is our only goal right now.”
MGM”s Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City also distributed more than 35,000 pounds of fresh food to local charities including The Boys & Girls Club of Atlantic City and The Community Food Bank of New Jersey.
