NACDS TSE exhibitors donate products to Las Vegas nonprofits

ARLINGTON, Va. — Following the completion of the inaugural NACDS Total Store Expo at the Sands Expo and Convention Center, exhibitors donated 6,000 lbs. of consumer goods to be dispersed to various charitable organizations throughout the Las Vegas area, NACDS has announced.



NACDS worked with Sands Expo to donate leftover products to local nonprofit organizations to be dispersed to those in need. Local nonprofits will benefit from donations, ranging from cosmetics, health and hygiene products, food and beverages, household supplies to other consumer products available in chain pharmacies.



“During these challenging economic times, we are deeply grateful to the exhibitors at the NACDS Total Store Expo for their product contributions to help those in need in the Las Vegas community,” stated NACDS president and CEO Steve Anderson.  “We appreciate partnering with Sands Expo to distribute these goods to local nonprofit organizations.”



The nonprofit organizations that will receive goods from the product donation include:



The Teacher Exchange: Created by The Public Education Foundation, The Teacher Exchange provides free resources to public classrooms, while helping the environment. Thousands of Clark County teachers benefit from receiving a variety of reusable, recycled and gently used materials, supplies and equipment. Since its inception, the organization has collected and recycled more than 1 million pounds of electronic hardware, paper and other classroom materials that would have otherwise been disposed of in local landfills.



The Shade Tree: The largest shelter of its kind in the state, The Shade Tree is the only 24-hour accessible shelter designed specifically to meet the needs of women and children in Southern Nevada. The more than 300 permanent beds provide more than 100,000 nights of shelter each year. The 38,000-sq.-ft. facility includes residential areas (i.e., sleeping rooms, libraries, training rooms, rest rooms and children's play rooms), a main floor (i.e., kitchen, laundry, restrooms and showers, and services for victims of violence), and a basement for storing donations and shelter supplies. All of The Shade Tree’s services are provided free of charge, regardless of the length of stay.



Three Square: Three Square is the only food bank serving Southern Nevada. Its mission is to provide wholesome food to hungry people, while pursuing a hunger-free community. Working with more than 600 program partners, Three Square combines food banking (i.e.,warehousing canned and boxed goods), food rescue (i.e., obtaining surplus or unused meats, bread, dairy and produce from hospitality and grocery outlets), and ready-to-eat meals, to be the most complete food solution for Southern Nevada. In 2012, more than 24.5 million lbs. of food, the equivalent of 18.8 million meals, were distributed.



Volunteers in Medicine of Southern Nevada: VMSN provides health care to uninsured and unemployed residents of Southern Nevada, including the chronically ill and those seeking preventive care. Current services include adult and pediatric primary care, women’s care, newborn checkups and immunizations, basic diagnostic tests and medications. Future plans include the addition of dental, mental and vision services, as well as the opening of a second facility. In addition to a growing list of referral physicians, VMSN and has affiliation agreements with major teaching institutions and works with national pharmaceutical companies to provide medications for patients.



Another donation took place following the 2013 NACDS Total Store Expo. American BioTech Supply donated vaccination refrigerators and freezers to the Southern Nevada Health District, which provides vaccinations to 100,000 children in the region each year.