Empire City Announces Its 2024 Foundation Grant Recipients

WESTCHESTER COUNTY, NY — Once again this year, some of the biggest winners at Empire City weren't even on the gaming floor.

From Empire City Casino by MGM Resorts.

Empire City Casino by MGM Resorts ("Empire City") remains dedicated to supporting New Yorkers across the Bronx and Westchester through ongoing employee volunteer efforts, in-kind giving, and strategic partnerships with local nonprofits. These initiatives are powered by grants from the MGM Resorts Foundation and Empire City Casino. The grants focus on key philanthropic focus areas, including food insecurity programs that provide access to nutritious meals, public educational programs that foster academic success, and workforce development initiatives offering training and resources to prepare individuals for sustainable career opportunities.

As the largest gaming floor in the MGM Resorts portfolio, Empire City is equally dedicated to social impact and sustainability initiatives benefiting the greater-New York region, including communities throughout Yonkers, Mount Vernon, the Bronx and beyond. Each year, Empire City supports numerous charitable organizations with grants, funding, and in-kind donations. Since MGM Resorts acquired Empire City in 2019, the company has contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to local organizations and fostered a culture of employee volunteerism. In 2024, Empire City employees took their commitment to the community to new heights through an unprecedented number of volunteer hours.

A Culture of Community Volunteering

In line with its philanthropic mission, Empire City employees have dedicated hundreds of volunteer hours to a wide range of causes. This is part of MGM Resorts’ broader commitment to exceed more than one million volunteer hours companywide by 2025, a milestone the company has already achieved this year.

Volunteer events that Empire City employees have donated their time to include joining Groundwork Hudson Valley for the Great Saw Mill River Cleanup, removing tons of trash and enhancing the river, a project that aligns with Empire City’s sustainability goals; hosting a blood drive with the New York Blood Center to address critical blood shortages; the assembly of hundreds of summer reading and activity kits for students through United Way of Westchester and Putnam, encouraging continued learning; distributing food to communities in need through Catholic Charities, Feeding Westchester and Part of the Solution; and volunteering on the 9/11 Day of Service with Volunteer New York.

One notable display of volunteerism occurred just before Thanksgiving when Empire City employees volunteered at a mobile food pantry in the Bronx, partnering with theFood Bank for New York City ('Food Bank') to distribute meals to those in need. The Food Bank was also a recipient of a 2024 MGM Resorts Foundation grant under the company's food insecurity philanthropic pillar, along with Feeding Westchester.

Additional 2024 Giving

As part of its education pillar, Empire City has provided funding to BronxWorks for hands-on STEM programming for kindergarten through fifth grade students in the South Bronx. Additionally, Visions Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired also received funding for technology training and workforce certification support for the visually impaired.

Empire City continues to support public education programs that foster academic success in local schools. This includes funding for Yonkers Groundwork Hudson Valleysustainability education programs and Junior Achievement of New York’s financial literacy in the South Bronx.

Other organizations receiving support in 2024 include: YMCA of Yonkers, Yonkers Partners in Education, Empowered Network, Catholic Charities Community Services Archdiocese of New York, Bronx Chamber of Commerce Foundation, Youth Community Outreach Program of Mount Vernon, Hudson River Museum, ArtsWestchester and the United Way of Westchester and Putnam.

"Delivering meaningful social impact that strengthens our communities is at the heart of Empire City’s mission, both in New York and across MGM Resorts globally," saidTaryn Duffy, vice president of public affairs at Empire City Casino by MGM Resorts. “As colleagues, neighbors, and friends, our commitment has only grown stronger. We look forward to continuing our work as stewards of community transformation in the Bronx and Westchester for generations to come.”

2024 In-Kind Donations

Empire City further demonstrates its commitment to corporate social responsibility through generous in-kind donations. Recently, the casino donated over 6,300 hygiene kits - including essentials such as shampoo, conditioner, soap, and lotion - to local organizations such as Lifting Up Westchester, BronxWorks, and the Guidance Center of Westchester. Additionally, Empire City provided over 1,000 backpacks to students in Yonkers, Mount Vernon, and the Bronx to help them start the school year prepared.

Empire City’s philanthropic initiatives support nonprofit organizations that provide direct services for residents in the surrounding communities in which it operates, as well as where its employees reside. To learn more, please visit Community Engagement - Empire City Casino. For more information on Empire City Casino by MGM Resorts, visit www.empirecitycasino.com.

This release was produced by Empire City Casino by MGM Resorts . The views expressed here are the author’s own.