LAS VEGAS – It’s no surprise that Americans are in need since major cities throughout the US began shutting down in March of this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This has affected Nevadans especially hard with unemployment numbers hitting 22% as of May 8, according to a report from the state Department of Employment, Training, and Rehabilitation.
Task Force 221 joined forces with Three Square, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, Highway Patrol, and Metro React volunteers to distribute food to local Las Vegans in their time of need.
Over 18 Soldiers pitched in to assist with set up, traffic control, and logistical support.
“Our mission today was to deliver food to members of the Las Vegas community that are struggling from the COVID-19 situation.” Said 2nd Lt. Jason Lee.
Hundreds of vehicles could be seen from the start point then snaking around the casino all the way onto W Sahara Ave. For ease of operation staff asked people to open their trunks so when they pulled up food could be easily placed into the automobile without contact. This also dramatically sped up the process.
Staff Sgt. Saul Brown provided a glimpse into this event. “It takes a lot of coordination. We have four lanes of vehicles that run simultaneously, but it went really smooth.”
“Today we gave out over 16,000 meals to about 800 families in just under three hours.” Lee added referring to the May 14th operation.
May 21 marked a milestone, however, with over 19,000 meals distributed, according to staff reports. Since 221 started working with Three Square in April they have doled out over 850,000 meals to local Las Vegas families.
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