Question of the Day - 31 May 2020

They didn't donate all the food they had on hand. Most casinos retained non-perishables; however, perishable food was donated en masse, saving casinos from spoilage and allowing for tax write-offs, while also doing a power of good for the community.

No one, to our knowledge, has kept a running tally of all the food donated, but we can get a pretty good idea from media reports, press releases, and internal memos — like the one in which Penn National Gaming CEO Jay Snowden disclosed that M Resort and the Tropicana had given away 45 tons of food.

Not to be outdone, the Cosmopolitan donated 104,000 pounds of goods, valued at $250,000. Caesars Entertainment topped that with 116,000 pounds, eventually totaling the equivalent of 208,000 meals. Boyd Gaming doesn’t have a precise number, but says it is in “tens of thousands of pounds.”

The most detailed breakdown comes from Las Vegas Sands, which tasked two semi trucks on March 17 to start delivering 68,068 pounds of perishables. At roughly the same time, Sands gave 55,560 bottles of water and 150 cases of dry food to a dozen charitable organizations, including the Shade Tree Shelter and Salvation Army. Between May 1 and 14, Sands provided 1,000 boxed lunches a day (17,000 total) to Catholic Charities. It also did a May 5 “Giving Tuesday” match for the Three Square Food Bank, doing a triple match for all monetary donations up to $10,000 total.

MGM Resorts International did Sands one better, providing 1,000 hot meals a day to Catholic Charities. It also ponied up 363,000 pounds of food for local pantries.

Treasure Island donated all of its surplus food to My Father’s House. Sahara Las Vegas allowed its employees to pick from perishable items before donating any excess.

Wynn Resorts split its generosity between 15 food banks in Las Vegas and three in Boston, donating an aggregate of 175 pallets of food valued at $750,000.

Places you could collect food included Palace Station, where a Three Square drive-through pickup was held. Sunset Station was also pressed into service. Station Casinos chipped in 120 pallets of food, described as “over 200 gallons of milk and an assortment of bakery items including brownies, cakes, pies and more.” 

Yes, it’s a potential tax deduction, but it’s also a tremendous investment in community goodwill, a commodity that doesn't come cheaply.