High school is not an easy time for any young person, but it’s tougher for others. While some youth in Clark County schools worry about homework, sports, or spending time with friends, there are over 14,000 youth enrolled in our schools who are experiencing homelessness and must worry about how they will get their next meal. To make sure they have access to a hot meal, the nonprofit Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth (NPHY) invites the community to participate in the Plastic Food Drive – food gift card drive throughout March.
Homeless youth, who may be experiencing street homelessness or couch surfing, often do not have consistent access to the equipment needed to prepare or heat food that they would take with them from a traditional food pantry. By providing youth with food gift cards to restaurants with affordable, nutritious meals, youth can access a hot meal, regardless of their living situation. This meets youths’ immediate needs for hunger relief while connecting them to further NPHY and community resources, such as help with work and school, therapy, emergency shelter, family reunification, and housing.
“Each year, we see thousands of young people experiencing homelessness through our various programs, and each of the gift cards that are donated helps us connect with them, which is the starting point to work on long-term solutions. With the community’s support, we can ensure vulnerable youth who don’t have access to food or a kitchen don’t go hungry,” said Arash Ghafoori, NPHY chief executive officer. “Every donation makes an impact. With $10 we can provide a meal, while $50 can give a youth a week of groceries.”
There are several ways to help: donate a $10 fast food restaurant gift card or a $50 grocery gift card, host a donation drive or make a monetary contribution. Gift cards can be purchased through the NPHY Amazon Wish List or dropped off at the NPHY Drop-In Center, located at 4981 Shirley St. near UNLV, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For more information about the Plastic Food Drive, visit www.nphy.org or email events@nphy.org. To make a monetary donation, visit www.donorbox.org/nphyplasticfooddrive, and to purchase gift cards, visit https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1MG2LP431OT5M/ref=hz_ls_biz_ex.
About Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth
NPHY is the most comprehensive service provider for the thousands of homeless youth in Southern Nevada, serving hundreds of youth through core programs and touching the lives of thousands more through outreach each year. NPHY’s programs stabilize homeless teens’ lives, meeting their immediate needs and providing a safe, supportive environment and a path to self-sufficiency. Through our work with homeless youth, NPHY creates productive, healthy adults who contribute to society. Strengthening and complementing the high-quality direct services for homeless youth, NPHY is dedicated to advocating with and for the Las Vegas Valley’s homeless youth population and serves as a leader in systems-level efforts to eliminate homelessness among Nevada’s youth. For more information or to support our life-changing work for homeless youth, please visit www.nphy.org.
