Homeless students benefit dinner Sunday at Moose Lodge

If you're a fan of pasta and baked goods, then an event this weekend will allow you to enjoy the treats and help our area youth in the process.

A donation dinner for the Nye County School District Homeless Activity Fund will be held Sunday from 3 p.m. until 6 p.m. at Moose Lodge #808, located at 1100 E. 2nd Street. There is no set price for the dinner, which includes spaghetti, garlic bread and salad, so attendees can donate any amount they feel comfortable in order to take part in the dinner.

"Basically, whatever you donate for your dinner that night is what they'll accept," said Linda Fitzgibbons of the Nye County School District. "So if you want to donate $1, $5, $10, whatever the case may be, is what they're going to accept."

A bake sale and a 50/50 drawing will also take place the day of the event, hoping to collect the most money possible for the students in need in the area.

The Pahrump Valley Rotary Club wanted to help out homeless students in the Nye County School District so they approached the district about what they could do to provide aid.

"I got ahold of Linda Fitzgibbons at the Nye County School District Homeless Activity Fund and they were in need of funds to purchase goods for the homeless children," Jim Cornell of the Moose Lodge said. "So we're hoping that we get some good support from the community to raise funds."

Cornell said he hopes that at least 100 people show up for the event which is in its first year, and if it has a solid turnout that the dinner could become an annual event.

The homeless activity fund supports children in the school district that have been identified as homeless under the McKinney-Vento Act.

If enough money is raised between the event and other donations that the district receives, the plan is to have a scholarship available each year for homeless students who want go to college after high school.

Fitzgibbons said that the funds raised by the event will go toward purchasing supplies such as clothing, shoes, toiletries, fees and school supplies, among other things a child in need might require throughout a school year.

"The fund is used for numerous items," Fitzgibbons said. "We have a mini-store that helps with anything from underwear and socks to coats to soaps and shampoos.

"Then there are things that we might not have on our shelves, like when an ROTC kid needed a specific white shirt, I am able to go out and purchase such items."

The money can also go toward paying for field trips for students who would otherwise not be able to afford the price to go.

"Last year we were able to send two students to Las Vegas to attend the Nutcracker," Fitzgibbons said.

There are 311 students that utilize the homeless activity fund at this time, so the organization can use all the help they can get to help area youth.

Cornell is happy to assist anyone in need in the valley whenever he and the Moose Lodge are able and events like this are just one way they do so.

"It's a great feeling anytime the Moose can help out anybody in the community," he said. "We do whatever we can."

Contact reporter Mick Akers at makers@pvtimes.com. Find him on Twitter: @mickakers.