Jack Link’s Protein Snacks partnered with Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth (NPHY) to provide local homeless youth with 2,000 non-perishable sack lunches and 6,000 hygiene kits during a volunteer project on May 5 at the SLS Hotel. This was the single largest donation of these basic survival items to the nonprofit organization, and means NPHY will be able to provide meals and hygiene materials to the homeless youth it helps through its outreach program for an entire month.
Jack Link’s team members were in Las Vegas for a sales and marketing meeting and identified Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth as an organization they wanted to assist during their stay. Between 120 and 150 team members assembled hygiene kits containing toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner and other related items, and prepared brown bag lunches with a variety of food items. Upon completion, materials were turned over to NPHY for distribution.
Sack lunches and hygiene kits are two of the most important resources NPHY offers to homeless youth, assuring them a meal to eat and making it possible for them to maintain personal cleanliness. Each week NPHY distributes roughly 300 to 500 sack lunches and hygiene kits to at-risk and homeless youth in Southern Nevada.
Each year Jack Link’s gives more than $1 million in meat snacks to charities as well as hosts an annual event to raise funds for education systems located in communities where they have facilities. Headquartered in Minong, Wis., the company is a global leader in protein snacks and the No.1 meat snack manufacturer worldwide.
Youth homelessness in Nevada ranks near the top in the nation, according to the National Center on Family Homelessness. During the 2013-2014 school year, the Clark County School District reported more than 9,000 homeless in schools. These figures are in stark contrast with 2007-08, when 4,700 students were identified as homeless in the district. In addition, the National Runaway Switchboard reports that youth, ages 12-17, are at higher risk for homelessness than adults nationwide.
About The Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth
The Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth (NPHY) is the most comprehensive service provider for more than 9,000 homeless youth in Southern Nevada, serving hundreds of youth through its 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. Programs include: Outreach, Safe Place Mobile Crisis Intervention, Operation Go Home Family Reunification, Drop-In Center, Emergency Shelter, and Independent Living Program. For information and to support NPHY’s critical work to get homeless youth off the streets, visit www.nphy.org or follow NPHY on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/nevadapartnershipforhomelessyouth.
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