12 Days of Giving: Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth

Sat, Dec 9, 2017 (2 a.m.)

Editor’s Note: While ’tis the season of giving for most Nevadans, many local nonprofit groups give back to the Southern Nevada community year-round. The Las Vegas Sun is profiling some of those groups to inform the community how they can help. To be included, contact [email protected]

Nevada has the highest rate of unsheltered homeless youth in the nation, beating out states like New York and California, according to the 2016 Annual Homeless Assessment Report by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth started in 2000 to address that problem.

It is hosting the second-annual Holiday Wrap Block Party today in partnership with the MGM Grand at its drop-in center, 4981 Shirley Street. Volunteers will be sorting and wrapping gifts and creating holiday cards to Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth clients and homeless youth during the holidays.

When you bring an item from the group’s holiday wish list to the Cosmopolitan Ice Skating Rink from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Wednesday, you will receive a free skate and skate rentals.

Executive Director Arash Ghafoori said the organization needs wrapping paper in addition to gifts on their Amazon wish list, as well as gift cards to places like Subway or McDonald’s year round.

“This time of year is for friends, family and loved ones, and homeless youth are especially sensitive to that,” Ghafoori said. “There’s a lot of ways the community can extend the holiday love to as many homeless youth as possible.”

Editor’s note: This story has been revised to correct an error regarding the event at the Cosmopolitan.

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