12 Days of Giving: Helping Hands of Vegas Valley

Wed, Dec 13, 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]

More than 55,000 hungry seniors reside in Clark County, according to Dana Serrata, the executive director of Helping Hands of Vegas Valley. Serrata cites access as a main cause of hunger for seniors — they either lack access to transportation to go to the grocery store or can’t access funds for groceries.

Helping Hands of Vegas Valley started in 2000 to provide transportation to seniors who couldn’t drive or use public transportation. Its services expanded to include a food pantry and a food-delivery service.

It is participating in the Boyd Gaming Trees of Hope, an annual tree-decorating competition that will donate more than $40,000 to participating charities. You can vote for the Helping Hands of Vegas Valley tree through Dec. 17.

Helping Hands of Vegas Valley is looking for volunteers to pack food from its pantry and provide deliveries to seniors. For details, contact Brenda Jepson, the group’s volunteer coordinator, at 702-507-1850 or [email protected].

“Seniors are the forgotten population,” Serrata said. “Seniors move to Las Vegas for an active retirement, only to leave their support systems behind, which can leave them vulnerable.”

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