Rivers Gives Day of Service Unites Rivers Casinos and Local Partners To Combat Food Insecurity and Support Community Health and Human Services

Schenectady, NY (September 11, 2026) – Rivers Casinos and Rush Street Gaming will bring Team Members and community partners from across all five casino locations together for the annual “Rivers Gives Day of Service” on Tuesday, Sept. 15. This year’s Day of Service will advance Rivers Gives’ health and human services priority through efforts focused on combating food insecurity and supporting Team Member wellness.

 More than 6,000 Team Members representing each Rivers Casino gaming property, plus Rush Street’s Chicago headquarters, will volunteer with nonprofit partners in their respective communities. Together, they will lend their time and efforts to support local hunger-relief efforts and help ensure individuals and families in need have access to nutritious food.

 Team Members will mobilize at Rivers Casinos in Pittsburgh; Philadelphia; Des Plaines, Illinois (Chicago area); Schenectady, New York; and Portsmouth, Virginia, volunteering alongside local nonprofit partners.

 Activities will include packing fresh meals and food kits, assembling care packages for children and families, sorting donated items at local food banks and preparing nutritious meals for children who may not have reliable access to food on weekends and school breaks.

 Each Rivers Casino will support Team Member wellness through health fairs, blood drives, immunizations, dietitian consultations and fitness and wellness programming.

 This is the fourth Rivers Gives Day of Service, an annual program that brings together Team Members across four states in support of communities in need. Following the inaugural event in 2023, Rush Street Gaming, originator and adviser of the Rivers Casino brand portfolio, was inspired by its Team Members to make the Day of Service an annual tradition. Previous initiatives have supported military veterans and first responders as well as health and wellness nonprofits, while this year’s effort focuses on addressing food insecurity as part of the broader health and human services focus.

 “Our communities are at the heart of everything we do, and Rivers Gives Day of Service allows our Team Members to put that commitment into action where we live and work,” said Tim Drehkoff, CEO of Rivers Casino and Rush Street Gaming. “We’re proud to work alongside our nonprofit partners to help connect individuals and families in need with nutritious food, health resources and community support.”

 “Rivers Gives” is Rush Street Gaming’s long-standing community outreach program, with volunteerism, board service, donation drives, in-kind contributions and corporate giving among its key pillars. Through Rivers Gives, the Rivers Casinos contribute thousands of volunteer hours to local nonprofit partners each year. 

 Rivers Gives focuses on three imperatives to enhance the quality of life for its regional casino communities: health and human services; workforce development and economic opportunity; and support for U.S. military and veterans and first responders. The annual Day of Service is one part of that broader commitment, giving Team Members an opportunity to work directly alongside community organizations and support causes that matter in their local communities.

 “Our Team Members are the driving force behind Rivers Gives Day of Service, bringing their time and energy to causes that make a meaningful difference,” said Dawn Reynolds Pettit, chief human resources officer of Rush Street Gaming. “We’re proud to see our Team Members come together with nonprofit partners to give back while also taking part in opportunities that support their health and well-being.”

 Across its operating markets, Rivers Casinos and Rush Street Gaming annually contribute approximately $14 million to local nonprofit partners and various community groups.

Rivers Casino Schenectady Partners with the Regional Food Bank

 For its Day of Service, Rivers Casino Schenectady is partnering with the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York to help fight hunger and provide food to individuals and families in need throughout the region. The Regional Food Bank serves a 23-county area through a network of partner agencies and hunger-relief programs.

 Rivers team members will volunteer at several locations throughout the day, beginning at the Regional Food Bank’s distribution center in Latham. Following a check presentation to Food Bank representatives at 10:15 a.m., team members will sort and pack food, including preparing 300 bags that will be loaded onto a Regional Food Bank truck for distribution later that day. The donation amount, which will be announced at the event, will include proceeds from Rivers Casino’s August Donations Make A Difference program and its annual team member golf tournament.

 A second group of Rivers team members will volunteer at the Regional Food Bank’s Patroon Land Farm in Voorheesville beginning at 10:30 a.m., helping harvest fresh produce for distribution to neighbors in need. The Regional Food Bank has operated the 162-acre sustainable farm in partnership with the Patroon Land Foundation since 2006. The farm has produced more than 1.8 million pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables, all of which have been distributed through the Food Bank’s network of partner agencies.

 The day of service will culminate at Rivers Casino Schenectady at 1:15 p.m., when a Regional Food Bank truck will arrive for a community food distribution mini-market. Rivers team members will help distribute food as seniors, community organizations, including Bethesda House, and members of the public receive food provided by the Regional Food Bank. The distribution will take place at the Rivers team member parking lot between the parking garage and M&T Bank Center.

 Rivers team members across the property will also participate in a nonperishable food drive benefiting Concerned for the Hungry. Donations collected from team members will be picked up by the Schenectady-based organization on Sept. 15.

 "The need within our communities continues to increase, while federal support continues to decrease," said Tom Nardacci, CEO of Regional Food Bank. "At a time when our neighbors are struggling with increased costs and inflation, we are so grateful to have strong supporters like Rivers Casino who are rolling up their sleeves and getting involved. Through the generosity and leadership of the team at Rivers Casino, we are working to ensure that families here in the Schenectady area have food on their tables each night."