PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Rivers Casino Philadelphia will join forces with Philabundance in its effort to drive hunger from the Delaware Valley when casino Team Members volunteer at the Hunger Relief Center during the MLK Day of Service on Monday, Jan. 20. The team will sort and pack food to benefit neighbors in the Philadelphia community and surrounding areas.
The federal holiday and national day of service also marks the debut of “Rivers Gives,” the casino’s new community relations program. Rivers Casino has been a proud community partner since opening in 2010, and continues to support local nonprofits and organizations through volunteer hours, sponsorships and donations.
Rivers Gives
Rivers Gives continues the casino’s steadfast commitment to the city of Philadelphia and includes Team Members volunteering 2,000 service hours annually to the Fishtown neighborhood and surrounding areas. The casino chooses a monthly charity partner for featuring and fundraising, where Team Members assist in a service project that benefits the Philadelphia community. This month, Rivers Casino Philadelphia is supporting Philabundance, the first organization to benefit from the Rivers Gives program. Proceeds from Team Member dining specials in January will be donated to Philabundance in addition to the volunteer day on Jan. 20.
“We’re excited to start the new year by giving back to the local community through Philabundance and all the great work it does,” said Emily Doñes, community relations manager at Rivers Casino Philadelphia. “MLK Day of Service is the perfect time to kick off the Rivers Gives program, and we look forward to more volunteer days ahead.”
Philabundance
Philabundance is a non-profit organization with a mission to drive hunger from our communities and end hunger for good. As the largest Feeding America member hunger relief organization in Eastern Pennsylvania and the surrounding areas, Philabundance helps feed over 700,000 people in the Delaware Valley facing hunger. In 2019, Philabundance had over 17,000 volunteers who worked more than 25,000 hours, saving the organization over half a million dollars, which it put back into its feeding programs. In addition to volunteering, just $1 helps provide two meals to feed those in need throughout the local community.
“Philabundance is grateful to volunteers from organizations like Rivers Casino, who help us pack and sort food drive donations, food boxes for seniors, produce and other products, that allow us to feed 90,000 people each week through our agency network,” said Glenn Bergman, Philabundance executive director. “Due to the generosity of the public, we have an influx of food that comes in over the holidays, so we’re especially in need of volunteers in the new year. We encourage other corporate groups, individuals and community-based organizations to sign up for a volunteer shift on our website to help us feed our neighbors in need.”
Rivers Community Commitment
Rivers Gives embodies the casino’s mission to continue supporting and collaborating with the local community and beyond. In addition to Team Members volunteering, other Rivers Gives initiatives include the $1 million annual contribution to the Penn Treaty Special Services District, which has received a total of $7.7 million since 2009; the casino’s annual Thanksgiving turkey donation that provides over 600 turkeys to local organizations throughout the city; and the annual Liberty USO Christmas in July send-off event, where Team Members prepare over 2,000 care packages for delivery to local Pennsylvania and New Jersey troops serving overseas.
ABOUT RIVERS CASINO PHILADELPHIA
Located along the Delaware Riverfront in Philadelphia, Rivers Casino Philadelphia, formerly SugarHouse Casino, features 1,755 slots, 106 table games, 65 hybrid gaming seats, a 28-table poker room and a designated sportsbook area for live sports betting. The casino offers seven distinctive restaurants and bars — among them are Hugo’s Frog Bar & Chop House, Mian and Geno’s Steaks — riverfront views, live performances in The Event Center, free parking, and promotions and giveaways daily. Rivers, which opened as SugarHouse Casino in 2010, employs approximately 1,600 Team Members and has been voted a great place to work in Philadelphia. Rivers Casino Philadelphia is owned and operated by Rush Street Gaming and its affiliates. For more information, visit RiversCasino.com/Philadelphia.
ABOUT PHILABUNDANCE:
Philabundance is the Delaware Valley’s largest hunger relief organization. For 35 years, it has focused on providing emergency food to those in need. In 2019, it relieved hunger by distributing more than 26 million pounds of food through a network of 400 member agencies. In 2019, it began partnerships with critical services providers, offering food coupled with other services to end hunger for good. Philabundance serves more than 90,000 people each week, 30 percent of whom are children, 16 percent of whom are seniors, and other clients include college students, single parents and the working class. Give now or learn more at Philabundance.org.
