Lutheran Social Services of Nevada (LSSN) will celebrate the expansion of its DigiMart™ Food Pantry with a virtual ribbon cutting at 2 p.m. Feb. 16 at the nonprofit group’s 4323 Boulder Highway headquarters. The event, streamed live at faceebook.com/LSSNV and lssnv.org, will feature remarks from LSSN Executive Director Armena Mnatsakanyan, LSSN Board President Kelly Peterson, District E Clark County Commissioner Tick Segerblom. Nevada Women’s Philanthropy (NWP) President Sara Costello, and a representative from the Las Vegas Metro Chamber of Commerce.
Ground was broken in March 2020 for the expansion, which enlarged DigiMart from 750 square feet to 3,058 square feet. DigiMart lets clients order fruits, vegetables and other groceries online from their homes and from Lutheran Social Services of Nevada’s kiosks.
The nonprofit’s officials said the expansion will let the DigiMart serve an additional 5,000 plus families annually, store 80,000 pounds of food with the cooler and freezer, offer a greater canned-goods selection and receive produce and other perishables to promote healthy diet choices.
Lutheran Social Services of Nevada said the bigger space will also boost community engagement by letting more volunteers distribute food and help on site.
A $490,000 2019 Impact Grant from NWP funded the DigiMart expansion. Lutheran Social Services emerged from 25 applying nonprofit organizations to secure the grant.
“It has been a dream of mine for a long time to build a one-stop-shop where people in our community can come and get the assistance they need all in one place,” Lutheran Social Services of Nevada Executive Director Armena Mnatsakanyan said. “The expansion was the final piece of the puzzle. We are grateful for the generosity of the women of NWP and their commitment to creating change in our community.”
Nevada Women’s Philanthropy President Sara Costello said, “NWP is thrilled to be a part of the DigiMart expansion. Innovation and collaboration are imperative to successfully tackling food insecurity in our community and LSSN is at the forefront of these efforts.”
Lutheran Social Services of Nevada complements DigiMart by hosting Open Air Markets, farmers market-style traveling food distributions, in at-need areas citywide. LSSN also serves hot, nutritious meals for free to seniors 60 and older at two Las Vegas churches every weekday through the Heart of the City Senior Meal Program.
In 2020, the nonprofit received nearly $2 million from Clark County for the Rapid Rehousing Program, which offers housing and support services to help homeless families become stable and self-sufficient long term.
Lutheran Social Services of Nevada annually helps more than 38,000 clients break the continuous cycle of poverty, homelessness and hunger. Since opening 1985 as a small clothing closet run by a dedicated group of volunteers, LSSN has grown into a nationally recognized organization that serves Southern Nevadans with a variety of nutritional and empowerment programs.
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About Nevada Women’s Philanthropy
Nevada Women’s Philanthropy (NWP) is a member-driven, pooled-fund, large impact grant-making organization established in 2005 to address the needs of the Las Vegas community. NWP consists of philanthropically motivated women, united by a desire to address emerging issues that face the community in the areas of arts, education, environment, social services, and health. NWP has invested $5.4 million with 25 nonprofit organizations in Southern Nevada to date. To learn more, please visit www.nwpsnv.org.
About Lutheran Social Services of Nevada
For more than 22 years Lutheran Social Services of Nevada (LSSN) has been providing compassionate human services to low-income seniors, individuals and families in Southern Nevada urban-core areas. Our mission is to express the love of Christ by serving and caring for people in need. Although Lutheran-based, LSSN is open and inclusive in the services we offer. We have an extensive nondiscrimination policy, which applies to our employment policies and service delivery.
