(Las Vegas, NV) – Gaming pioneer
and Three Square Board Member Diana
Bennett rallied friends and colleagues
to raise $528,325 for the children,
seniors and families struggling with
hunger in Southern Nevada. The event was
held May 2, 2012 at Bennett’s home in
Dragon Ridge and featured exclusive Zac
Posen fashion designs from his
Spring/Fall 2012 collection hosted by
Neiman Marcus. Guests were also treated
to a personal appearance by the designer
himself and four-star cuisine of
legendary Chef Gustav Mauler. Funds
raised benefit Three Square, Southern
Nevada’s only food bank.
“We are absolutely
thrilled to receive a gift of this
magnitude and to witness such an
incredible outpouring of support and
passion for providing wholesome food to
hungry people in our community,” said
Three Square Food Bank President and CEO
Brian Burton. “Currently, Three Square
through its more than 650 Program
Partners serves nearly 100,000
individuals monthly. We simply couldn’t
do it without the ingenuity of dedicated
community leaders like Diana and
friends, and their tremendous
generosity.”
According to a
recent study by Feeding America, one in
six Southern Nevada families struggle
with hunger, the equivalent of more than
300,000 people in our community. The
evening helped raise awareness about
Southern Nevada's hunger problem and the
vital role Three Square Food Bank plays
in the solution.
“As a longtime Las
Vegan, I’ve seen this community grow and
change tremendously over the years,”
said Bennett, President of Paragon
Gaming LLC. “My family and I have been
very blessed in Las Vegas and I know
that’s not that case for a lot of
families here right now. As a concerned
member of this community and a Three
Square board member I wanted to do
something; provide a hand-up for
struggling Las Vegans during these tough
times.”
Guests had the
opportunity to support hunger relief in
a variety of ways including donations to
specific nutrition programs: “BackPack
for Kids,” Senior Share and the Food
Bank/Food Rescue Program. They also had
the chance to bid on a trip to Fall
Fashion Week which included hotel,
airfare, two tickets to view Posen’s
Spring 2013 line and a personal tour of
his design studio in New York City.
Friends and
supporters of the event include: Neiman
Marcus, Zac Posen, Gustav Mauler, Coomi
and Southern Wine & Spirits among
others.
With the
funds raised through this event, Three
Square was able to meet the Conrad N.
Hilton Foundation $5 million Community
Challenge Grant. Currently, Three
Square has an annual cash operating
budget $12 million and distributed more
than $42 million worth of food into the
community last year.
About Three
Square
Three Square was
established to end hunger in the valley
by providing wholesome, nutritious food
to non-profit organizations that serve a
wide range of Southern Nevadans in need.
A national model project inspired by
Eric Hilton with a grant provided by the
Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, Three
Square is a community collaborative
partnership with the gaming industry,
businesses, non-profit agencies, food
distributors, higher education
institutions, the CCSD, governmental
entities, the media and thousands of
volunteers to efficiently and
effectively serve hope to those in our
community struggling with hunger. Three
Square currently provides more than 24
million pounds of food and grocery
product – the equivalent of nearly 18
million meals – per year to more than
650 Program Partners including
non-profit and faith-based
organizations, schools and feeding sites
throughout Southern Nevada. Three
Square is a member of the Feeding
America network of food banks. For
additional information visit
www.threesquare.org.