Feeding Forward 2025 goal achievement announced on World Hunger Day 2024
LAS VEGAS, May 28, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) ("MGM Resorts" or the "Company") announced today that it has donated five million meals into the community since 2016, marking the achievement of a 2025 social impact and sustainability goal well ahead of schedule. In 2023 alone, the Company donated more than 1.2 million meals to feed food insecure people in local communities.
The five million meals were donated through the MGM Resorts Feeding Forward program. Many were the result of grants to organizations that focus on hunger relief and funded meals donated to local nonprofit organizations. Other donations involved rescuing unserved food from multiple points along the Company's food and beverage operations and safely delivering donations into the communities in which MGM Resorts operates across the United States.
"We are extremely proud of the environmental and social impacts of this program," said Jyoti Chopra, Chief People, Inclusion and Sustainability Officer at MGM Resorts. "This incredible achievement is the result of innovation, creative drive and the hard work of our people, all of which allows us to recover food of all types at a significant scale and help our neighbors struggling with food insecurity. In keeping with this year's World Hunger Day theme, our company is committed to breaking the cycle of malnutrition and building a thriving world."
The most innovative aspect of the Feeding Forward program is the donation of prepared food from buffets and events, which addresses the major environmental concern of food waste alongside the societal challenge of food insecurity. Trays of food are cooled, packaged and frozen in on-property blast chillers, ensuring safe storage temperatures before the meals are redistributed into the community. They are then donated to Three Square Food Bank, where items are added to the inventory and distributed to food insecure people. More than 130 hunger relief agencies have selected prepared frozen meals from Three Square's online ordering system.
According to 2023 data from the national nonprofit Feeding America, there are more than 274,000 Southern Nevada residents—one in eight people—who struggle with food insecurity. Together with this and other programs, MGM Resorts is committed to food security in all of the regions in which it operates, with recent grants to hunger relief organizations that total nearly $375,000, including nearly $195,000 to organizations in Southern Nevada. Local organizations to receive funding include Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada, HELP of Southern Nevada, the Just One Project, Nevada Homeless Alliance, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Las Vegas Inc and the United States Veterans Initiative.
From our partners:
Beth Martino, President and CEO, Three Square Food Bank
"Assistance from major partners in the community is crucial to our operation, especially as recent reports show food insecurity rising in Southern Nevada. The significant efforts of MGM Resorts International in combatting food waste have resulted in hundreds of thousands of pounds of food donated annually, providing invaluable support in our mission to achieve a hunger-free community."
Alyson McCarthy, CEO of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Las Vegas:
"Families with seriously ill or injured children come to the doorsteps of the Ronald McDonald House with the weight of the world on their shoulders. Whether it's because they don't think about eating, can't afford to spend the money, or simply can't make another decision, many go without eating a regular healthy meal. With MGM Resorts' commitment to providing hunger relief in our community, we are able to serve nearly 5,200 freshly prepared meals to children and families through our Taste of Home Dinner Program. This helps meet a nutritional need to keep their strength up during a difficult time and, more importantly, it enables families to fully focus on what is most important – the recovery of their child."
Elizabeth McCarthy, President & CEO of the Community FoodBank of New Jersey:
"South Jersey, and particularly Atlantic City, has some of New Jersey's highest rates of food insecurity. In the face of such great need, we're grateful for our partnership with MGM Resorts. This five million meal milestone is an incredible testament to their commitment to ensuring that all of our neighbors in need have enough to eat."
ABOUT MGM RESORTS INTERNATIONAL
MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) is an S&P 500® global entertainment company with national and international locations featuring best-in-class hotels and casinos, state-of-the-art meetings and conference spaces, incredible live and theatrical entertainment experiences, and an extensive array of restaurant, nightlife and retail offerings. MGM Resorts creates immersive, iconic experiences through its suite of Las Vegas-inspired brands. The MGM Resorts portfolio encompasses 31 unique hotel and gaming destinations globally, including some of the most recognizable resort brands in the industry. The Company's 50/50 venture, BetMGM, LLC, offers U.S. sports betting and online gaming through market-leading brands, including BetMGM and partypoker, and the Company's subsidiary LeoVegas AB offers sports betting and online gaming through market-leading brands in several jurisdictions throughout Europe. The Company is currently pursuing targeted expansion in Asia through the integrated resort opportunity in Japan. Through its "Focused on What Matters: Embracing Humanity and Protecting the Planet" philosophy, MGM Resorts commits to creating a more sustainable future, while striving to make a bigger difference in the lives of its employees, guests, and in the communities where it operates. The global employees of MGM Resorts are proud of their Company for being recognized as one of FORTUNE® Magazine's World's Most Admired Companies®. For more information, please visit us at www.mgmresorts.com. Please also connect with us @MGMResortsIntl on Twitter as well as Facebook and Instagram.
MGM RESORTS CONTACT:
Andrea Bruce
Manager, Social Impact and Sustainability Communications
Abruce@mgmresorts.com
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SOURCE MGM Resorts International