Page 22 - South Mississippi Living - May, 2020

COAST NOTE
COAST CASINOS RESPOND TO COVID-19
story by Lori Beth Susman photos courtesy of Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, Palace Casino Resort and Silver Slipper Casino Hotel
BEAU RIVAGE Chef Don Wicks helps load food donations.
PALACE CASINO worker wraps food for delivery.
SILVER SLIPPER General Manager John Ferrucci loads produce.
When the Mississippi Gaming Commission issued an order on March 16 for the state’s gaming institutions to close by midnight in response to the threat of COVID-19, it sent casinos in motion.
There was much to coordinate and a lot to consider, including what to do with all of the food in stock for the casino bu ets and other on-property dining facilities.
Rather than let food stockpiles go to waste, casinos immediately reached out to area food pantries and donated large quantities to serve people in need; people who rely on local food banks to feed their families. The work started on March 16 and most of the work was completed by March 17.
On one end of the Coast, Silver Slipper Casino Hotel employees loaded up more than a ton of produce, including potatoes, onions, tomatoes, lettuce, pineapples and melons, and sent it to the Hancock County Food Pantry. In D’Iberville, Scarlet Pearl Casino Resort donated all perishable food surplus to the city’s police and re departments, local schools, the Jackson County School District and the Ocean Springs Fire Department. Hot meals were also made and served in the days following the shut down.
Biloxi casinos donated food to student feeding programs and other organizations. IP Casino Resort Spa gave their perishable
foods, including produce, cheese and yogurt, to Climb CDC, which then began o ering all school-aged children hot lunches.
Harrah’s Gulf Coast gave fresh fruits, milk and bread to a number of organizations, including Extend a Helping Hand, Moss Point High School, Lord is My Help, Women’s Shelter
in Ocean Springs, Mount Olive Lodge in Gulfport and Loaves and Fishes, and Golden Nugget Biloxi also donated produce and diary products to Loaves and Fishes. Hard Rock gave produce, dairy and more to Extra Table, who distributed the food throughout Harrison County to food banks and soup kitchens.
Palace Casino Resort donated pallets of fresh vegetables and fruit to those in need following the casino’s closure on March 16. Food and beverage associates worked to stack and load the seven pallets that were given to several area food banks.
“We’re happy to be able to turn the negative situation of
our resort’s temporary closing into a positive way to help our local community,” said Palace Food and Beverage Director Jim Brown.
Beau Rivage emptied its coolers and contributed 25,205 pounds of fresh fruit vegetables, milk, bread, soups and other perishable items to 18 coastal Mississippi charities. These donations will provide more than 16,000 meals to feed the region’s hungry.
22 | May 2020 22 | May 2020
www.smliving.net | SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living www.smliving.net | SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living