All-vegan food bank LasVegan Food Bank recently opened in Las Vegas. Operated entirely by volunteers and through non-perishable food and monetary donations, the food bank offers something that other food banks do not: healthier and entirely vegan food. LasVegan Food Bank held its first distribution day last month and gave out nearly 20 boxes of groceries at a contact-free pick-up location. The food bank distributes vegan grocery boxes (which contain approximately 10 meals worth of food) every two weeks and, so far, has provided approximately 900 meals. The food bank is open to anyone in need.
“I was concerned about how many people were unemployed and struggling to feed themselves and their families in the Las Vegas area and was wanting to volunteer at a food bank, but [as a vegan] I didn’t feel good about feeding people animal products,” LasVegan Food Bank founder Mindy Poortinga told VegNews. “I know how our vegan population has grown exponentially in the last few years and wondered if there was a need for a vegan food bank. It turns out there was a huge need for the vegan food bank and with the help of volunteers I was able to get ours started.”
Poortinga hopes that she can grow the food bank offerings further in coming months. “We’ve had to close down our online grocery box registration form within a couple days and essentially turn people away without food—which is a terrible feeling when the entire goal is to get people fed,” Poortinga said. “I’d like us to not ever have to do that again.”
JUMP TO ... Latest News | Recipes | Guides | Health | Shop
