MGM Donates Meals to Poor

The MGM Grand Detroit Casino gave away more than 83,000 meals last year. But that has nothing to do with free steak dinners for high rollers or comped trips to the buffet for steady players. "The downtown casino is donating huge amounts of leftover food -- mostly from its bounteous eight-station buffet -- to Gleaners Community Food Bank of Metro Detroit for distribution to the poor.

"Beginning last year, MGM began rotating food from its buffet and packaging it into one-pound, single servings. The casino donated more than 40 tons of food -- mostly nutritious, high-protein fare -- in 2004. "In the past, MGM threw away such leftover food as it refreshed its buffet, said Jay Dee Clayton, MGM executive vice president "…Besides the food, MGM provides the free use of a 'cold room' -- a salad preparation room deep inside its food operations area where a constant 38-degree temperature is maintained for healthy food-handling conditions…"

Detroit News

2005-05-12