Casinos Donate Food, Gifts, and Money During Holiday Season

Posted on: December 27, 2020, 09:34h. 

Last updated on: December 27, 2020, 09:56h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

Casinos across the country donated various goods this holiday season to charity organizations, including gifts for children, food for the hungry, and money.

casino charity donate holiday
Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians Chairman Andrew Alejandro watches a Safeway truck unload food items for those in need. The tribe’s casino is just one of the many gaming enterprises that helped their local communities this holiday season. (Image: Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians)

Live! Casino Pittsburgh, which was forced to close this month on state COVID-19 orders less than a month after its grand opening, donated more than 1,000 pounds of food this week to a local food bank. Over 250 holiday hams were included, along with fixings and sides.

Just because we’re closed doesn’t mean we can’t help the good people in our community who need it most,” said Live! Casino Pittsburgh General Manager Sean Sullivan.

“We’re doing everything we can to prepare for reopening and getting our team back to work,” Sullivan added. “The employees’ continued focus on helping others is truly inspiring.”

COVID-19 has resulted in tens of thousands of gaming industry workers being furloughed or terminated.

In Las Vegas, casinos are employing 21.4 percent fewer people than they did at this time last year. Last week, Caesars Entertainment handed out 20,000 frozen turkeys and cookies to its team members in Southern Nevada.

Casino Charity

Atlantic City has been especially hard hit by the coronavirus. But the town’s nine casinos continue to assist the community during the pandemic.

Less than a month after donating Thanksgiving meals to food banks and seniors, Caesars Entertainment — which owns Caesars, Harrah’s, and Tropicana — donated more than 500 gifts to the local Toys for Tots campaign, plus an additional $5,000 to the organization.

MGM Resorts’ Borgata celebrated with its “12 Days of Giving” program, which honors area people and donates to charitable causes. Health care workers at the AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center were offered individual, pre-packaged meals prepared by the resort’s culinary team. Charities that received donations include the Boys & Girls Club, Community FoodBank of New Jersey, Humane Society, and ARC.

Ocean Casino donated $12,000 to four charities: The Alcove Center for Grieving Children and Families, The Humane Society of Atlantic County, Ronald McDonald House, and The Marine Mammal Stranding Center.

Some 250 miles north, the Saratoga Casino Hotel donated $100,000 to 38 local and regional nonprofits. Recipients included the Saratoga Springs police and fire departments, Saratoga Hospital Community Health Center, and Stillwater Food Pantry.

California Tribes Assist

The Sycuan Casino Resort in San Diego, owned and operated by the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation, contributed $70,000 to 21 different charities. A few notables include the Alzheimer’s Association, Children’s Health Defense, and San Diego Equality Business Association.

The Chumash Casino Resort, the gaming property of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, gave $25,000 to the Central Coast Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots campaign.

The Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians and its Rolling Hills Casino partnered with Safeway supermarkets to donate $160,000 worth of food items to those in need. Casino employees and tribal members volunteered their time to hand out the goods.