Woman helps fill neighbors’ plates

Monday, April 24, 2000 | 9:24 a.m.

Every Sunday evening Mary Clapper backs her silver Dodge van up to the clubhouse at McKnight Senior Village in eastern Las Vegas.

She opens the side doors of the van and unloads the boxes.

Packaged hot dog buns, bagels, English muffins, garlic bread and sliced bread peer out from the boxes. Cakes and pastries are stacked in a nearby grocery cart.

After the boxes are neatly lined, the cluster of residents awaiting her arrival move forward and take what they need.

The day-old baked goods are donated by the Vons grocery store at 2224 S. Nellis Blvd., which provides unused food for charitable causes. Clapper collects anything other charities have passed up and brings it to her neighbors in the subsidized senior housing complex.

"It makes a big difference," said 88-year-old Jane Werkstell, a resident at the complex, who walked away with a bag of bread and a strawberry cheesecake. "Bread is expensive these days."

Whatever isn't distributed at McKnight Senior Village is taken to a low-income housing project down the street.

"We set it out like this and it doesn't take long before it's gone," Clapper said as she pointed to the row of bread-filled boxes. Clapper also brings baked goods to disabled residents of an accessible living apartment building.

To Clapper, her efforts are no big deal, hardly worth a mention. To some residents at the senior complex, her efforts are greatly appreciated.

"She does this out of the goodness of her heart," resident Leroy Weiss said. "Some people can't get out of their own home."

Clapper, who lives at McKnight, became involved with the bread runs after calling local stores to see if they donate unused food. "Everybody's on a limited income," said Clapper, who passed out raffle tickets for the pastries.

And so nobody misses out on the free bread, she goes door to door earlier in the day to remind them.

"It comes in handy," Werkstell said. "A lot of (the residents) don't have bread and they wait until today to get it."