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Our Mission
The SunRelief Project provides sun protection, hats, umbrellas, and other protective items,
to unsheltered individuals in cities experiencing extreme heat.
We started in Las Vegas, and we're working toward a future where no one has to face the sun unprotected.
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Reduce the harmful health effects of prolonged sun exposure
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Promote public awareness of heat-related risks
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Foster community involvement in caring for vulnerable populations
The Need
Extreme heat is a life-or-death issue for people without shelter.
Urban areas across the U.S. are getting hotter and staying hotter. For people experiencing homelessness, that shift isn't an inconvenience, it's a daily threat to their health and survival.
Las Vegas is one of the fastest-warming cities in the country, and the people most exposed to that heat are the ones with nowhere to go inside.
Fast Facts
5.9°F
Increase in Las Vegas's average annual temperature from 1970 to 2024 — the second-fastest-warming city in the U.S.
7,900
People experiencing homelessness in Clark County on a single night in 2024.
147
Individuals experiencing homelessness who passed away from heat-associated causes in Las Vegas in 2024.
Heat exhaustion.
Heat stroke.
Severe dehydration.
Skin damage and skin cancer.
These are the consequences of being exposed to direct sun for hours every day, without shade and without protection.
And the simplest tools to prevent them — a hat, an umbrella — are out of reach for the people who need them most.
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How We Help
Simple, portable, life-saving.
Shade is one of the most effective and accessible defenses against extreme heat. Wide-brimmed hats and UV umbrellas are inexpensive, easy to carry, and far more likely to be used consistently than sunscreen — making them the right tools for the people we serve.
Wide-Brimmed Hats
Block direct sun exposure to the scalp, face, and neck
Reduce risk of skin cancer and sun-related issues
Help keep the head cool by blocking sunlight
Reduce glare and improve visibility
Portable, reusable, low-cost
UV Umbrellas
Block over 90% of harmful UV rays
Create up to 15°F cooler space under the canopy
Reduce risk of overheating in direct sun
Lightweight, easy to operate, easy to carry
Provide instant, on-demand shade
Immediate Relief
Lowers body temperature and reduces heat-related illness
Skin Health
Prevents sunburn and long-term skin damage
Portable
Lightweight and easy to carry anywhere
Cost-Effective
Affordable compared to most other forms of relief
Higher Adherence
Used more consistently than sunscreen
How it Works
Donations are directly distributed to those most in need during the hottest summer months.
1.
Source
We partner with manufacturers, retailers, and donors to gather wide-brimmed hats and UV umbrellas — both new product and overstock.
2.
Coordinate
We work with established Las Vegas community partners to identify distribution sites and the people most at risk during heat events.
3.
Distribute
Our team hands out protection directly to unsheltered individuals throughout the Las Vegas Valley during the hottest months: June, July, and August.
4.
Report Back
We document our distribution events and report back to product donors so they can see the direct impact of their contribution.
Started by a Family.
Driven by Community.
The SunRelief Project began with two teenage sisters, Giselle and Gabby, and their mom Mary, volunteering at the Salvation Army during a peak Las Vegas summer.
What they saw that day — sunburned, exhausted people who didn't have something as simple as a hat — became the reason this project exists.
