Last week, Yonkers’ Empire City Casino once again proved its social responsibility toward the local economy. The MGM Resorts’ casino donated over US$102,000 to eight local non-profit organizations via its employee and guest-funded Community Grants Program. And some of the recipients include Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of NY, Greyston Foundation, Yonkers Family YMCA, Feeding Westchester and others.
According to MGM Resorts, the grants were sanctioned to organizations that provide crucial services in the core of the company’s philanthropy areas. This includes food and security programs, that deliver nutritious meals, and educational programs. One of the new initiatives for this year is the homelessness program which will try to tackle the problem in the region.
Over US$100k Provided
Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York is one of the recipients of a donation in the size of US$10,000. The organization will use the money to fund a mobile foot pantry targeting area food deserts. Yonkers Family YMCA has also received a US$10k grant which will be utilized to expand its hot meals programmes in the region.
Feeding Westchester has also been awarded a US$10,000 donation, and the money will be used to enhance its food recovery initiatives. Meanwhile, United Way of Westchester & Putnam or UWWP received two grants. One of the grants worth US$10,000 has gone to its Education United Program and Summer Learning Program, and the other US$12,000 has been sent to launch a new program that focuses on youth violence prevention.
The Greyston Foundation has also been allocated a US$10,000 donation which will come in handy to support its Workforce Education and Training Program. It offers occupational courses created to place individuals in permanent jobs in high-demand sectors. The second grant of US$10k has been sent out to the Catholic Charities to back their workforce development programs in Yonkers.
In addition to that, a US$10k grant has also been allocated to VISIONS/Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired, which offers free services for the visually impaired. Last but not least, the BronxWorks received US$10,000 to back its workforce development programs, and the Guidance Center of Westchester also got US$10,000 to fund the furnishing apartments for individuals receiving services in their programs.
Pursuing Full-Casino Upgrade
Empire City Casino is also looking to expand its gaming operations by applying for one of the three full-scale casino licenses in downstate New York. A while back, MGM Resorts’ CEO and President William Hornbuckle commented that the company is looking to expand its Yonkers amenity by investing serious cash injection. One of the ideas is to launch a much-needed parking garage.
Currently, the casino is considered to be among the favourites for one of the licenses, as many industry experts predict that it is nailed on for one. The property has previously received support from “A Sure Bet for New York’s Future”, which organized a rally at the casino to demonstrate its backing for it and speak on the potential benefit of its expansion.
Source: “MGM-Empire City Casino Presents $100K+ in Grants to Local Westchester Nonprofits” Yonkers Times, August 27, 2022
