Three hundred homeless teenagers cycle through Las Vegas and Henderson every year. Seventeen thousand families visit food pantries monthly. Convention centers throw away hundreds of restaurant-quality meals daily because 20% of attendees skip events after late nights on the strip.
The Just One Project connects these problems with solutions that started from one person’s charitable moment in 2014 and evolved into a 70-employee operation that’s rewriting how Las Vegas fights food insecurity.
From a Walmart Phone to 17,000 Monthly Service Units
Brooke Newbower founded The Just One Project in 2014 after what she calls her “Grinch moment”—that first charitable act where her heart grew ten times larger. She fell in love with giving back and getting involved in the community.
The organization started by connecting volunteers with opportunities. That was it. No food distribution. No wraparound services. Just matching people who wanted to help with places that needed help.
Then they pivoted to fighting food insecurity through popup mobile distributions. They had an army of volunteers and wanted to address a basic need in the community. Food insecurity became the focus.
In 2018, they received a $193,000 gift to open a senior-focused food pantry. Brooke admits they had no idea what they were doing. They bought a phone at Walmart with an 80s-style answering machine. Cynthia Lewis, now Special Projects Manager and Brooke’s friend of 22 years, recorded a bilingual voicemail in English and Spanish.
They opened their doors and waited for the phone to ring.
It didn’t.
That’s when they realized outreach was necessary. They went door-to-door visiting doctors’ offices that specialized in senior clients. They learned about PR two years into operations. Everything was trial by fire.
Seven years later, the organization employs 70 people and serves 17,000 individuals monthly through eight food programs and comprehensive wraparound services.
Two Pillars: Hunger Today and Hunger Tomorrow
The Just One Project operates on a two-pillar model that addresses both immediate hunger and long-term food security.
Food For All Programs – Solving Hunger Today
Eight food programs create access and remove barriers for people who need food right now. This includes a full grocery store model at their 1401 North Decatur location where clients can shop for groceries based on family size and need.
They run a qualification process but maintain a no-turn-away policy. Some programs require Nevada residency. Others have no documentation requirements. The goal is making sure hungry people get fed regardless of their situation.
The organization operates a full delivery fleet. Volunteers and observers describe them as “a logistics company” because of how systematically they move food from sources to families. When corporate groups come to volunteer—often 25 or more people—there’s never idle time. Everyone stays busy because the operation runs continuously.
Packaging follows specific requirements. Beans go in a certain way. Rice goes another way. Juice boxes have designated positions. The system keeps volunteers productive and ensures consistent service delivery.
Community Connect Program – Preventing Hunger Tomorrow
The second pillar tackles food insecurity six to twelve months from now. This isn’t band-aid charity. It’s case management that helps people create plans toward self-sustainability.
Someone who’s underemployed gets help finding a better job. Someone who wants to work but can’t because they lack childcare gets childcare assistance, then job placement. Families struggling with utility bills get support before those bills spiral into eviction.
One small financial hiccup can destroy a family’s stability. A car repair. A medical bill. Something unexpected wipes them out, and they’re on a downward spiral toward homelessness.
The Community Connect Program intervenes at those moments. Social services, resource navigation, and wraparound support help families stabilize before crisis becomes catastrophe.
This approach grew organically. The organization listened to clients, followed trends in what their business was becoming, and identified gaps in community services. They spent five years fielding criticism that they should “stay in their lane” and “just do food.” But they were in their infancy, still learning who they needed to become.
Now they know. Food insecurity isn’t just about food. It’s about employment, childcare, utilities, medical costs, transportation, and a dozen other factors that determine whether families thrive or collapse.
Food Rescue Alliance: Turning Strip Waste Into Family Meals
Las Vegas conventions serve hundreds or thousands of attendees daily. Casino event spaces prepare massive catering spreads. Then 20% of attendees skip the meal because they stayed out late the night before.
What happens to that food?
It used to get thrown away. Hundreds of pounds of miso glazed salmon, braised short ribs, and green beans almondine dumped in trash bins because convention schedules moved forward and nobody had a system to redirect surplus.
The Just One Project created that system.
How the Food Rescue Alliance Works
The Venetian Hotel invested in launching the Food Rescue Alliance. They designed it as an open participation model so any property could join. Caesars Entertainment signed on, with operations kicking off October 1st.
Here’s the logistics: Within three hours of pickup, rescued food is distributed either directly to clients or routed to partner organizations like Vegas Stronger and Shine Light. The food never even makes it to the buffet line—these are untouched catering items from backstock that were never brought out because demand didn’t require refills.
Volunteers break down the food into family-sized takeout containers. Think of ordering from a nice restaurant and getting those aluminum trays. That’s the format. Restaurant-quality meals packaged for families who would otherwise go hungry.
Overcoming the “You Can’t Do That” Barrier
When The Just One Project first proposed this program, the response was universal skepticism. “You can’t do that. There’s no way to safely get food from the strip to families that quickly. Too many rules. Too many regulations.”
The biggest misconception? That food needed to be flash frozen before redistribution. This false requirement stops many food rescue programs before they start because flash freezing infrastructure is expensive and logistically complex.
The Just One Project did their research. They learned about the Good Samaritan Act, which protects donors from being sued for food-borne illnesses from donated food. That cleared the legal concern.
Then they got smart about the regulatory concern. They formed a food safety committee and invited someone from the Southern Nevada Health District to join. Instead of fighting the health department, they made the health department part of the solution. That committee member helped design perfectly timed procedures that met all safety requirements without flash freezing.
Get the people who have to approve it involved in designing it. Let expert brains do the hard work. That’s how you turn “you can’t do that” into “here’s how we do that.”
The goal now? Getting the entire strip participating in food rescue. Every casino. Every convention center. Every event space. The infrastructure exists. The model works. It just needs more partners willing to redirect surplus instead of sending it to landfills.
COVID-19 Response: When 17,000 Became 58,000
When the pandemic hit in March 2020, many nonprofits closed their doors. Southern Nevada faced a huge food shortage. Bodies were piling up in trucks in New York. Nobody really understood what COVID-19 was yet.
The Just One Project kept showing up.
Staff members delivered food to COVID-positive clients while wearing masks, not fully understanding transmission risks but knowing people needed help. The volunteer army mobilized. Service demand exploded.
Normal operations serve 17,000 individuals monthly. During COVID peak, that number hit 58,000. That’s 3.4 times normal capacity sustained over months of pandemic crisis.
The infrastructure didn’t collapse. The mission didn’t pause. The organization proved that when crisis hits, you don’t close doors—you open them wider and find a way to meet the need.
Where Your Dollar Actually Goes
Nonprofit overhead is a legitimate concern for donors. Too many organizations spend 30, 40, or even 50 cents of every dollar on administrative costs and fundraising instead of programs.
The Just One Project operates differently. Ninety-six cents of every dollar goes directly to programs. That’s the most recent calculation, updated annually. It fluctuates slightly year to year but stays in the 92 to 96 cent range.
That means when you donate $100, only $4 covers operational overhead. The other $96 feeds families, provides case management, delivers groceries, rescues strip food, and connects people with resources that prevent homelessness.
You can watch your donations work in real time. Follow them on Instagram at @thejust1project. Every single day, they post what’s happening operationally. You’ll see volunteers packaging food, delivery trucks heading out, clients shopping in the grocery store, and wraparound services in action.
That transparency matters. Donors want to see tangible impact, not just annual reports with abstract statistics. The Just One Project shows you what your money funds every day.
The Just One For One Partnership: Making $1 Matter
Three hundred homeless teenagers cycle through Las Vegas and Henderson annually. That number is specific, measurable, and devastating.
Aaron Taylor from The Real Estate Guys wanted to help but recognized a problem: Many people want to donate but don’t have $100 or $500 to give. Some don’t even have $20 available. So they don’t donate at all because they feel like small contributions don’t matter.
The Just One For One program solves that problem. One dollar per month. One dollar per paycheck. That’s it.
Visit justoneforone.org and set up a recurring $1 donation. It takes two minutes. The money goes directly to The Just One Project, which knows how to allocate resources effectively. The focus is homeless youth—getting them connected with services, resources, and support that prevent them from becoming part of the chronic homeless population.
Most people can spare a dollar. When thousands of people each spare a dollar, that adds up to real funding that changes real lives. The program removes the barrier that prevents people from participating in charitable giving.
Current Challenges and the Decline Nobody Talks About
Service numbers dropped recently. Not because demand decreased, but because fear increased.
The Latin and Hispanic communities that The Just One Project serves are coming in less frequently. Families who previously visited regularly are staying home. Even documented residents who have legal status avoid the food pantry if they have undocumented grandmothers living with them or undocumented neighbors nearby.
They’re being incredibly protective of anyone in their circle who might be vulnerable. That protective instinct keeps them from accessing services they desperately need.
The Just One Project doesn’t care about documentation status. They have programs with Nevada residency requirements, sure. But they also have programs with no eligibility requirements beyond being hungry. If you need food, they feed you. Your paperwork situation is irrelevant.
Getting that message out to fearful communities is challenging. Trust takes time to build and seconds to destroy. Current political climates and immigration enforcement discussions create environments where vulnerable populations hide instead of seeking help.
The organization continues outreach, continues demonstrating their commitment to serving everyone, and continues showing up daily for families who need them—documented or not.
How Volunteers and Corporate Teams Get Involved
The Just One Project operates at 1401 North Decatur in Las Vegas. They offer tours for anyone interested in seeing operations firsthand. You’ll walk through the grocery store model, see the warehouse where volunteers package food, meet staff members who run programs, and understand the full scope of how one organization serves 17,000 families monthly.
Corporate team building events work well here. Groups of 25 or more can volunteer together, working side-by-side packaging food or preparing deliveries. The organization accommodates large groups without volunteers standing around waiting for something to do. There’s always work available.
Yozi, one of the volunteer coordinators, runs operations with remarkable efficiency. Corporate groups praise how smoothly volunteer sessions flow and how productive everyone stays throughout their shift.
Individual volunteers participate in popup and give mobile distributions, work regular shifts at the main facility, or get involved through school programs. Follow their Instagram to see volunteer opportunities posted regularly.
The pink heart logo that represents The Just One Project generates recognition around Las Vegas. Brooke was at Vori when someone spotted the heart and asked about team bonding experiences. At Rachel’s Kitchen, a woman saw the logo, started crying, and thanked Brooke—she was a client. In a parking garage, an attendant recognized the logo and mentioned volunteering through her school program.
That community connection is what the organization built over seven years. It’s not just a food pantry. It’s a community resource that people recognize, trust, and support.
Golf Tournaments and Corporate Beneficiary Opportunities
The Just One Project is currently in a slight deficit. They need to end the year in the black to avoid disrupting services. The Fourth Annual Big Cup Golf Tournament on October 10th at The River in Henderson represents a critical fundraising opportunity.
Every hole features something engaging so participants don’t get bored. The event combines fundraising with genuine entertainment, making it attractive for sponsors and players who want to support the mission while having a good time.
The organization also serves as beneficiary for Mariana’s Golf Tournament. Ruben wanted a local charity where he knew exactly where the money goes instead of donating to distant organizations with unclear fund allocation. The Just One Project was a natural fit.
That beneficiary relationship model could work for other companies. How many businesses run golf tournaments annually and send funds to charities they don’t really know? What if those companies partnered with local nonprofits where they could tour facilities, meet staff, understand operations, and verify that donations fund real impact?
Corporate decision-makers should consider interviewing The Just One Project as a potential beneficiary for their events. Local partnerships create accountability and visibility that distant charity relationships never provide.
Why This Organization Matters Beyond the Numbers
Seventeen thousand monthly service units sounds impressive. Seventy employees sounds like growth. Ninety-six cents on the dollar sounds efficient. But numbers don’t capture what The Just One Project actually does.
They prevent the spiral. That’s the real work.
A single mother misses three days of work because her car broke down. She can’t afford the repair. She loses her job. Now she can’t pay rent. She gets evicted. Her kids move between couches and temporary housing situations. Within six months, she’s homeless.
The Just One Project intervenes at “car broke down.” They provide the emergency assistance that prevents the job loss, which prevents the rent default, which prevents the eviction, which prevents the homelessness.
They help the underemployed person find better work before financial stress becomes financial crisis. They provide childcare assistance so parents can accept employment instead of staying trapped in no-win situations. They cover utility bills before shutoffs create cascading problems.
Food insecurity is the visible symptom. The underlying disease is financial instability caused by low wages, high costs, unexpected emergencies, and lack of support systems. The Just One Project treats both the symptom and the disease.
That’s why they evolved beyond “just food” despite criticism. That’s why they built wraparound services. That’s why case management became central to their mission. Food today matters. Preventing hunger tomorrow matters more.
Getting Started: Three Ways to Help Right Now
You don’t need to write a massive check or commit to weekly volunteering to make a difference. The Just One Project built their model around accessibility—making it easy for people to help at whatever capacity they can manage.
Option 1: Monthly Donation Through Just One For One
Visit justoneforone.org. Set up a recurring $1 monthly donation. It takes two minutes. That dollar goes to homeless youth services. If a thousand people each donate a dollar monthly, that’s $12,000 annually funding resources that prevent teenagers from becoming chronically homeless.
Option 2: Direct Donation to The Just One Project
Visit thejust1project.org. Click the donate button in the upper right corner. Choose whatever amount works for your budget. Remember that 96 cents of every dollar funds programs. Your $50 donation puts $48 directly into feeding families, rescuing food, and providing case management.
Option 3: Volunteer Time or Organize a Team Event
Call 1401 North Decatur and schedule a tour. See operations firsthand. If you represent a corporate team, ask about group volunteer opportunities. Twenty-five people spending three hours packaging food creates thousands of meal portions for families who need them.
Las Vegas has plenty of people willing to help. They just need clear paths to get involved. The Just One Project removes barriers on both sides—for people who need services and for people who want to serve.
The Strip Food Rescue Opportunity Still Waiting
The Food Rescue Alliance works. The model is proven. The infrastructure exists. The Southern Nevada Health District approved the procedures. The Good Samaritan Act provides legal protection.
Only a handful of strip properties participate.
Imagine if every casino, every convention center, and every major event space on the Las Vegas strip redirected surplus food instead of throwing it away. Thousands of additional restaurant-quality meals would reach families weekly.
The barrier isn’t logistics. It’s awareness and commitment. Properties need to understand that systems exist to safely rescue food, that liability concerns are addressed, and that the process doesn’t disrupt their operations.
Corporate decision-makers at hospitality companies should contact The Just One Project about joining the Food Rescue Alliance. The organization handles pickup, breakdown, packaging, and distribution. Properties simply need to alert them when surplus food is available instead of sending it to waste management.
That’s how Las Vegas could become a national model for urban food rescue. The framework exists. It just needs broader adoption.
What Seven Years of Learning Looks Like
The Just One Project admitted they had no idea what they were doing in 2018. They bought a Walmart phone and waited for it to ring. They went door-to-door trying to find clients. They learned about PR two years in.
Seven years later, they’re teaching other organizations how to operate food rescue programs. They’re demonstrating that nonprofits can maintain 96-cent program ratios. They’re proving that wraparound services prevent food insecurity better than food distribution alone.
That evolution came from following client needs rather than preconceived notions about what a food pantry should be. It came from ignoring critics who said “stay in your lane” and instead building the organization that Las Vegas needed.
Brooke and Cynthia built something that started as one person’s charitable moment and became a 70-employee operation serving 17,000 families monthly. They survived pandemic demand that tripled their caseload. They created food rescue systems that recover hundreds of meals daily from the strip.
Most importantly, they built an organization that recognizes food insecurity isn’t just about food—it’s about employment, childcare, utilities, medical costs, and all the factors that determine whether families spiral into homelessness or climb toward stability.
That’s the model Las Vegas needs. That’s the work worth supporting. That’s why your dollar, your volunteer time, or your corporate partnership matters.
Visit thejust1project.org or justoneforone.org. Follow them on Instagram. Schedule a tour. See what 96 cents on the dollar looks like in action.
Because 300 homeless teenagers cycle through Las Vegas annually. Seventeen thousand families need food monthly. And one organization figured out how to address both problems while rescuing surplus food that used to fill dumpsters.
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly does The Just One Project do beyond giving out food?
The Just One Project operates on a two-pillar model. The Food For All programs provide immediate hunger relief through eight different food access programs, including a grocery store model where clients shop based on family size. The Community Connect program provides wraparound services like case management, job placement for underemployed clients, childcare assistance so parents can work, utility bill support, and resource navigation. They help create 6-12 month plans toward self-sustainability so families don’t remain food insecure long-term. This means addressing car repairs, medical bills, and other financial emergencies before they spiral into eviction and homelessness.
Do I have to be a senior citizen to get help from The Just One Project?
No. While The Just One Project started as a senior-focused food pantry in 2018, they evolved over seven years to serve all ages and situations. They have programs with varying eligibility requirements—some require Nevada residency, but others have no documentation requirements at all. If someone is hungry, they get fed regardless of age, documentation status, or background. The organization maintains a no-turn-away policy for food assistance.
How does the strip food rescue actually work without making people sick?
The Food Rescue Alliance operates under procedures approved by the Southern Nevada Health District and protected by the Good Samaritan Act. They pick up untouched catering items from convention back stock (food that was never brought to the buffet line) and distribute it within three hours to clients or partner organizations. The biggest misconception is that food needs to be flash frozen—this is false. The health district helped design timing procedures that keep food safe without expensive flash freezing infrastructure. Volunteers break down large catering trays into family-sized takeout containers for distribution.
Where does my donation actually go when I give to The Just One Project?
Ninety-six cents of every dollar donated goes directly to programs. Only 4 cents covers operational overhead. This is calculated annually and stays in the 92-96 cent range. Your donation funds food distribution, delivery operations, case management services, the Food Rescue Alliance, wraparound social services, and resource navigation. You can watch your donation work in real-time by following @thejust1project on Instagram, where they post daily operational activities showing volunteers, deliveries, client services, and program implementation.
What is the Just One For One program and how is it different from donating directly to The Just One Project?
Just One For One is a partnership program focused specifically on homeless youth support. It removes the barrier many people face when they want to donate but don’t have large amounts available. You can set up a recurring $1 monthly or per-paycheck donation at justoneforone.org. These funds go to The Just One Project but are designated for services helping the 300 homeless teenagers who cycle through Las Vegas and Henderson annually. It makes charitable giving accessible for anyone who can spare a dollar.
Can my company bring a team to volunteer, and how many people can you accommodate?
Yes. The Just One Project accommodates corporate volunteer groups of 25 or more people at their 1401 North Decatur location. The operation is designed so volunteers never have idle time—there’s always packaging, sorting, or delivery preparation work available. Groups praise how organized the experience is, with specific placement requirements for food items that keep everyone productive. Yozi, one of the volunteer coordinators, runs efficient sessions. Companies also use these events for team building while making tangible community impact.
Why did service numbers decline recently in the Latin and Hispanic communities?
Fear increased due to immigration enforcement discussions and political climate concerns. Even documented residents with legal status avoid accessing services if they have undocumented family members living with them or undocumented neighbors nearby. They’re being protective of vulnerable people in their circle. The Just One Project doesn’t care about documentation status and has programs with no eligibility requirements beyond being hungry, but getting that message to fearful communities is challenging. Trust takes time to build and the current environment makes outreach difficult.
How can my company’s golf tournament or corporate event partner with The Just One Project?
Contact The Just One Project about becoming a beneficiary for your event. Many companies run annual golf tournaments and donate to distant charities where fund allocation is unclear. Local partnerships with The Just One Project let you tour facilities, meet staff, understand exactly where money goes, and verify real impact. They currently serve as beneficiary for Mariana’s Golf Tournament and are seeking additional corporate partners. This creates accountability and visibility that distant charity relationships don’t provide. You can also sponsor holes at their Fourth Annual Big Cup Golf Tournament on October 10th at The River in Henderson.
What happens during COVID-19 when other nonprofits closed their doors?
The Just One Project stayed open throughout the pandemic. Service demand tripled from 17,000 monthly units to 58,000 during peak COVID crisis. Staff delivered food to COVID-positive clients while wearing masks in March 2020 when nobody fully understood transmission risks. They mobilized their volunteer army and sustained 3.4 times normal capacity over months of pandemic crisis. While many Southern Nevada nonprofits closed due to safety concerns, The Just One Project proved that crisis demands wider doors and finding ways to meet increased need rather than shutting down operations.
How do I know if my company should use The Just One Project for our charitable giving instead of other organizations?
Tour their facility at 1401 North Decatur and see operations firsthand. Look at their 96-cent program ratio—only 4 cents per dollar goes to overhead. Follow their Instagram to see daily operations and tangible impact. Ask about their two-pillar model addressing both immediate hunger and long-term food insecurity. Consider that they serve 17,000 families monthly with 70 employees, operate a Food Rescue Alliance recovering strip food waste, and maintained services during COVID when demand tripled. If you want local impact with financial transparency and proven operational capacity, The Just One Project demonstrates all three consistently.
Key Takeaways
The Just One Project serves 17,000 families monthly through a two-pillar model. Food For All programs address immediate hunger through eight access programs including a grocery store model. Community Connect provides wraparound services like job placement, childcare assistance, utility support, and case management creating 6-12 month self-sustainability plans. This prevents the spiral from single financial emergencies into homelessness.
Food Rescue Alliance recovers strip convention food within three-hour windows. Untouched catering items from Venetian, Caesars, and participating properties get broken into family-sized portions and distributed to clients or partner organizations. The program operates under Southern Nevada Health District-approved procedures protected by the Good Samaritan Act. Flash freezing is not required—that’s a common misconception that stops many food rescue programs before they start.
Ninety-six cents of every donated dollar funds programs directly. Only 4 cents covers operational overhead. This efficiency ratio is calculated annually and consistently stays in the 92-96 cent range. Donors can watch their contributions work in real-time by following @thejust1project on Instagram, where daily operational activities show volunteers, deliveries, client services, and program implementation.
Just One For One makes charitable giving accessible at $1 monthly. The partnership program focuses on the 300 homeless teenagers cycling through Las Vegas and Henderson annually. Visit justoneforone.org to set up recurring $1 donations. This removes the barrier many people face when they want to help but don’t have $20, $100, or $500 available. When thousands of people each donate a dollar, that creates real funding for youth services.
Service declined in Latin and Hispanic communities due to immigration fears. Even documented residents with legal status avoid accessing help if undocumented family or neighbors are vulnerable. The Just One Project doesn’t care about documentation—some programs require Nevada residency but others have zero eligibility requirements beyond being hungry. Getting this message to fearful populations is challenging but critical for maintaining service levels.
Corporate volunteer groups and golf tournament partnerships create sustainable funding. Teams of 25+ can volunteer at 1401 North Decatur with organized workflows ensuring no idle time. Companies can use The Just One Project as beneficiary for golf tournaments and corporate events, creating local partnerships with transparent fund allocation. The Fourth Annual Big Cup Golf Tournament on October 10th at The River in Henderson needs sponsors as the organization works to avoid ending the year in deficit.Contact thejust1project.org or justoneforone.org to donate, volunteer, or schedule facility tours. Follow @thejust1project on Instagram for daily operational updates showing exactly how donations fund tangible community impact. Call 1401 North Decatur to arrange corporate team volunteer events or facility tours for decision-makers evaluating charitable partnerships.
