Convoy of Hope giving event returns to Las Vegas

By Jackie Valley

Friday, Nov. 20, 2015 | 2 a.m.

Need a haircut, new shoes or a Thanksgiving meal?

All you have to do is get in line on Saturday. Charitable nonprofit Convoy of Hope is returning to Las Vegas for the second year in a row.

“It’s a day of hope,” said Randall Araujo, local coordinator of the event. “It’s specifically for those families who are struggling to get by.”

The event, which is free and will run as long as supplies last, begins at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Champion Center of Las Vegas at 3900 E. Bonanza Road, a nondenominational Christian church. The first 1,800 families will receive a free turkey, but guests also can enjoy a full Thanksgiving dinner on the church’s sprawling campus, which has been transformed to accommodate the Convoy of Hope.

Haircuts, flu shots, family portraits, groceries and a kids zone will be provided, in addition to health, career and veterans services. Semitrucks full of food and supplies arrived earlier this week.

Last year, the event drew about 7,000 guests, and organizers hope to serve 10,000 people this year, Araujo said. Another 2,000 people are expected to volunteer.

Many of the guests are either down on their luck, without jobs, or living paycheck to paycheck, struggling to make ends meet. The good news: Several who attended as guests last year have signed up to volunteer Saturday.

“It’s cool to see the lives transformed,” said Araujo, a pastor at the Champion Center.

Dozens of organizations, such as Three Square, Nevada Health Centers and the Las Vegas Rescue Mission, have partnered with Convoy of Hope to help in some capacity. The Convoy of Hope, which is based in Springfield, Mo., bills itself as a “faith-based, international, humanitarian-relief organization” that aims to assist people who are impoverished, hungry and hurting, according to its website.