Eat tacos this Friday and raise money to support free medical services clinic in Pahrump

Pahrump Valley residents with a taste for tacos as well as charitable contributions have the chance to indulge in both this Friday, when the Pahrump Remote Area Medical Committee will host its second annual Taco Dinner fundraiser.

Set to benefit Remote Area Medical’s upcoming Pahrump clinic, all proceeds from the Taco Dinner will be used to help offset the cost of holding the large-scale health care event.

Remote Area Medical, better known as RAM, is an international nonprofit founded in the 1980s by Stan Brock, whose own harrowing medical experience opened his eyes to a planet-wide need.

“My vision for Remote Area Medical developed when I suffered a personal injury while living among the Wapishana Indians in Guyana, South America,” Brock explained. “I was isolated from medical care, which was about a 26-day journey away. I witnessed the near devastation of whole tribes by what would have been simple or minor illnesses to more advanced cultures. When I left Guyana, I vowed to find a way to deliver basic medical aid to people in the world’s inaccessible regions.”

What started out as a mere vision is today a lasting legacy of the man who began it all. Brock may have passed away but his mission lives on in RAM and in the past three decades, more than 888,500 people all around the globe have been able to receive a wide array of medical services, completely free of charge.

RAM made its very first trip to Pahrump in 2016 and the response from the community was so incredible that, though return visits for RAM are rare, organization officials made the decision to make Pahrump a regular stop each year. This was partly because of the obvious need but that was not the only factor. Another reason RAM has persevered in hosting annual clinics in the valley is the staunch support the organization receives from the local host group.

Established under the guidance of the NyE Communities Coalition, the Pahrump RAM Committee is a key element in the local RAM clinic. Without the efforts of its members, the free medical services event simply could not happen. Always striving to find ways to bring in money to bolster the event, the RAM Committee started hosting dinner fundraisers three years ago with a spaghetti meal. In 2021, the group switched to tacos and that theme is carrying through to this year as well.

Scheduled for Friday, Sept. 9, the RAM Taco Dinner fundraiser will take place from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at the Valley Electric Conference Center, 800 E. Highway 372.

Advance tickets are $6 each. Tickets at the door will cost $10. Meals can be enjoyed at the venue or ordered to-go.

In addition to the meal, there will be plenty of raffle prizes to tempt attendees as well. Raffle tickets are one for $2, three for $5, eight for $10 or 20 for $30.

Dinner and raffle tickets can be obtained at the NyE Communities Coalition main office, 1020 E. Wilson Road or by contacting RAM Committee member Ryan Muccio at 702-672-6559.

For more information on RAM visit www.RAMUSA.org

Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com