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Lift Tech: A Broken Door is an Invitation

Oct 7, 2025 | Partner Profile

A chance meeting between Brian Kangas, owner of Lift Tech Garage Door Services. and SOK CEO Laurie Tanakaya opened the door to a unique partnership. Lift Tech has been installing and servicing residential and commercial garage doors and gates throughout the Las Vegas valley since 2014.

“I was looking at a new space for Lift Tech right across the street from the Serving Our Kids offices,” Brian said. “I stopped in and asked Laurie for the landlord’s phone number and we started talking about Serving Our Kids.”

“I had no idea that food insecurity was such a huge problem in the valley,” he continued. “It’s hard to get your mind around. I was shocked by the need. But when she showed me what Serving Our Kids does and how they’re making an impact, I was blown away.”

Brian grew up in a poor family that sometimes relied on food and other assistance from his church. In their 20s, he and his wife struggled with food insecurity at times. So, he understands the importance of community organizations like SOK, especially when it comes to child hunger.

“Kids can’t do anything about it,” he stated. “The adults have to step up and handle it.”

Lift Tech has a history of giving back to the Henderson community they love whenever they can and wherever it can make a real impact. SOK was a perfect match.

“When our warehouse door went off the rails, of course, I called Brian,” Laurie said. “He fixed it right away, but wouldn’t charge us for the repairs. He said he didn’t want to divert any funds from feeding our kids.”

“We wish we could do more,” Brian said. “We love their mission and their perseverance over the years is amazing. And their volunteers are incredible. Our 15-year-old daughter is a volunteer.

“We’re putting up a banner in our shop for customers to see,” he added. “It’ll have a QR code so they can donate or sign up to volunteer on the spot. And we’re giving a portion of every Lift Tech sale to Serving Our Kids.”

Lift Tech is also providing golf towels for all participants at our 14th Annual Golf Tournament fundraiser in November.

“We will help in any way we can,” Brian said. “Hopefully in a bigger way in years to come.”

SOK partners come in all shapes and sizes from large corporations to small, family-owned businesses like Lift Tech. They all have one thing in common: A big heart that’s in the right place.

BRAND: Our Fearless, Authentic, Marketing Team

Oct 7, 2025 | Partner Profile

BRAND, a full-service branding, marketing and communications firm, celebrates their 25th Anniversary in 2025. They develop national brands in emerging industries and have worked with some of the city’s most prestigious hospitality brands. They also serve clients in the commercial real estate development, consumer packaged goods, spirits, medical and wealth consulting industries.

Each year, the Henderson, Nevada, Chamber of Commerce Foundation sponsors Leadership Henderson, an intensive, nine-month program dedicated to educating and empowering effective community leaders. The Leadership Henderson Class of 2024 selected SOK as its community service project.

Class member Virginia Martino, BRAND’s Founder and CEO, volunteered her team to help develop and execute a comprehensive, five-year marketing plan, which included integrated advertising and PR campaigns designed to explode community awareness of SOK’s mission, significantly increase participation and donations from individuals and businesses, and secure SOK’s long-term financial stability.

BRAND created the “We’re Feeding Their Dreams” campaign and our new website, which includes a seamless, efficient way for people to donate and volunteer. They have promoted our fundraising events and helped make them more successful than ever.

BRAND helped develop and implement effective public relations and advertising campaigns. And they have created invaluable partnerships with KSNV/News 3 and other local media companies that continue to exponentially increased awareness of our brand, mission, objectives, needs, fundraising events, partnerships and accomplishments throughout Southern Nevada.

Together, these efforts have attracted new donors and committed corporate partners, and generated significant new revenue to support, improve and expand our operations.

SOK Wins Three Square’s Partner Award

SOK Wins Three Square’s Partner Award

Oct 7, 2025 | Partnerships

Serving Our Kids is honored to receive the Partner Award for Best In Childhood Nutrition from Three Square, the largest food bank in Southern Nevada. it partners with a nonprofit and community organizations to collect, store and distribute food to families, children and seniors in need.

“Serving Our Kids earned this award because of its unwavering focus on helping food-insecure children and its ability to consistently deliver weekend meal bags to thousands of elementary and middle school students every week during the school year,” said Tara Nerida, Director of Strategy and Partnerships at Three Square.

Tara also cited our committed, grassroots community support and efficient operations as making “a real and lasting impact in the fight against childhood hunger.”

SOK and Three Square work closely to coordinate operations and share resources to ensure that more children receive the food they need so they can focus on their future, instead of their next meal.

Three Square’s Childhood Programs Manager Aaliyah Goodie believes our partnership will become even more important as families, schools and communities face steep reductions in federal assistance programs.

“There will be less food and funding coming in while more of our neighbors will be seeking help,” Aaliyah said. “Right now, more than 377,000 Southern Nevadans, including one in five children, are already dealing with food insecurity or hunger. Thousands more could be affected in the near future.”

“Serving Our Kids is thankful and grateful for this award and our community partnership with Three Square,” said SOK CEO Laurie Tanakaya. “Together, we will meet these new challenges and win the fight against child hunger across the Las Vegas valley.”

 

What’s Happening at SOK

Oct 7, 2025 | What's New

WHEN DROPPING THE BALL IS A GOOD THING

Final preparations are underway for the 14th Annual Serving Our Kids Golf Tournament, our biggest fundraising event of the year, on Sunday November 2nd at The Legacy Golf Club Las Vegas. And it’s shaping up to be our best tournament ever.

The response has been incredible and we want to thank all of the generous partners, sponsors, fearless foursomes and dedicated duffers who have already pledged their support, including our three Nicklaus Sponsors, Aristocrat Gaming, Ford Country and Greenberg Traurig. Jack would be proud.

But there’s still an opportunity to participate, even if you don’t register to play or can’t attend the event – our Helicopter Ball Drop Fundraiser.

Feeling lucky? Purchase two golf balls for $50. Want to improve your odds? Purchase five balls for $100. There’s no limit to how many you can purchase from now until 7:00 AM on Sunday November 2nd.

Each ball you buy has a number assigned only to you. Just before the shotgun start, our friends at Sundance Helicopters will drop all of the balls on the 18th green.

  • If one of your balls is first in the hole or closest to the hole, you’ll win $1,000 in cash.
  • Second closest wins a Staycation at the iconic Plaza Hotel and Casino valued at $750. This includes dinner for two at Oscar’s Steakhouse and a Wine Duo.
  • Third closest wins a two-night stay at MGM Grand valued at $500.

Winners will be announced at the tournament luncheon, but you don’t have to be present to win. We’ll contact all winners within five days after the event.

So, get in the game! It’s more exciting than sinking a 40-foot putt for eagle. OK, maybe not. But it is a lot of fun.

Click Here and Buy Your Gold Balls, Today!

NV ENERGY ELECTRIFIES SOK

A few months ago, the NV Energy Foundation awarded SOK a $75,000 grant. The vast majority of these funds were dedicated to purchasing the nutritious, easy-to-eat foods we pack in our weekend meal bags. Needless to say, we were truly grateful.

But the foundation also challenged the NV Energy employee volunteers to break the SOK meal-bagging record. And in two events at two different locations, 220 amazing NV Energy volunteers created more than 15,000 weekend meal bags for 15,000 elementary and middle school kids who leave school on Friday not knowing if they’ll eat again until Monday. A stunning accomplishment.

“75,000 thank yous are simply not enough,” said Laurie Tanakaya, CEO of Serving Our Kids. “So, we’ll add 15,000 more on behalf on the food-insecure children they’ve helped us feed.”

HELMS HELPS DOUBLES DONATIONS!

The Helms Helps Foundation pledged to double all first-time donations (up to $20,000!) we received during September. This challenged us to do more to reach people who might not know about SOK, our mission and how food-insecurity afflicts thousands of kids in their community.

We are thrilled to announce that we met the challenge by raising $20,000 from new SOK donors. So, Helms Helps is matching that with its own $20,000 gift for a grand total of $40,000 in new funds.

A huge thank you to Terry Helms and everyone at Helms Helps Foundation for your incredible generosity.

FOOD DRIVE HIGH FIVES

Mega kudos to everyone who participated in the Bay Law Help Feed Their Dreams Food Drive. Concerned people like you donated more than 6,000 food items that go into our weekend meal bags, including the pillow bag Ramen noodles, fruit strips and squeezable apple sauce kids love.

Once again, SOK Champions Bay Law Injury Attorneys and News 3 Las Vegas did the heavy lifting. News 3 promoted the drive to viewers throughout Southern Nevada and the Bay Law team collected food donations at their offices in Henderson and topped it off by creating 4,000 weekend meal bags.

We also want to give a special shout-out to Don Tortaco Mexican Grill whose team promoted the drive to customers and collected food items at eight of their Las Vegas valley locations. Welcome to the fight against child hunger!

GOETTL GIVES BACK

Goettl might be hard to spell, but it’s easy to love. In September, the well-known air conditioning and plumbing company selected SOK to receive a $1,000 donation through its Kindness In The Air program.

Goettl Las Vegas Fleet Coordinator Dallin Kvist nominated us for the gift. A big thank you to Goettl and Dallin for your kindness and concern for the thousands of food-insecure children in Southern Nevada.

75,000 Reasons to Say, “Thank You”

75,000 Reasons to Say, “Thank You”

Jul 31, 2025 | Community Support

The NV Energy Foundation has just approved a $75,000 grant to SOK! The foundation funds significant programs and initiatives that have a lasting, positive impact in the communities they serve. And we’re thrilled that they consider SOK worthy of their incredible generosity.

The foundation has also issued a record-breaking meal-bagging challenge to the NV Energy employee volunteer team: Create 15,000 SOK weekend meal bags in two, high-energy, fun events. We will use a portion of the grant for a food purchase to keep the baggers busy for as long as it takes to meet the goal.

The events, led by Shannon Gregory, Director of Delivery Operations – South, are scheduled for August 11th and 12th at two NV Energy locations.

All we can say is, rest-up, carb-up and, of course, 75,000 thank-yous to the NV Foundation and everyone brave enough to answer the challenge.

Help Double Their Dreams

Help Double Their Dreams

Jul 23, 2025 | Community Support

Our friends at the Helms Helps Alliance will double all donations to Serving Our Kids during September from first-time donors!

  • If we raise $20,000 in first-time donations during September
  • Helms Helps will double that amount for a total of $40,000

Do you know anyone who wants to help hungry children right here in our community?

If they donate to Serving Our Kids during the month of September, they can double the impact of their donations.

$99 = $198

When you sponsor one food-insecure child for $99 and Helms Helps will double that so two kids get weekend meals bags every weekend for the entire the school year!

$20,000 = $40,000

This can provide more than 14,500 weekend meal bags for food-insecure children in 98 Clark County elementary and middle schools.

Hungry kids dream of food.

The Helms Helps Matching Donation Campaign can double your first-time donation and Help Feed Their Dreams!

 

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