Community

Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack Donates 300 Hams to Soup Kitchen of Greater Wheeling

WHEELING -- The Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack donated 300 hams to the Soup Kitchen of Greater Wheeling to help ensure everyone has enough to eat this spring.

Regional Director of Marketing Jill Eden said the casino does giveaways in the spring and fall to patrons, which saw them give away between 700 and 800 hams to guests between Wednesday and Thursday. The remaining 300 hams were kept in a refrigerated truck before being donated to Soup Kitchen personnel, who arrived Friday afternoon to accept the Easter gift.

"For us, it's an opportunity to give back to the community. We love to be a special part of our community in everything we do," Eden said. "… People that may have been without a meal this weekend, we're happy to be a part of that, feeding the community, and be a special part of their weekend."

Steve Rodocker, who drove from the Soup Kitchen of Greater Wheeling to make the pick up, said the kitchen greatly appreciated their generosity.

"We always appreciate the generosity of the casino. They always call us whenever they have something like this, and they're very, very generous to the community," he said.

Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack partners with the Soup Kitchen of Greater Wheeling for seasonal donations, including a turkey donation around Thanksgiving, in addition to other charitable donations in the area.

"The Soup Kitchen is not only a place for those who are facing food uncertainty to get a good, hot meal," Eden said. "It offers a place to socialize and shows those struggling that there are plenty of people who still value and care about them."