Redlands, Loma Linda Charities Receive Turkey Donations from Morongo Band of Mission Indians

With just over a week to go until Thanksgiving, one local group is going above and beyond to help put a turkey dinner on the tables of thousands.

The Morongo Band of Mission Indians is donating 10,000 turkeys to help provide an estimated 220,000 Thanksgiving dinners to families, seniors and veterans all throughout SoCal - Redlands and Loma Linda, included, according to tribe spokesman Michael Fisher.

The charities - all pre-selected at this point - lined up Wednesday to receive the turkeys on Wednesday, Nov. 14, in this 27th annual event.

There are 113 charities who will benefit from the turkey giveaway from Redlands, Loma Linda, Cabazon, Riverside, San Bernardino, Temecula, Desert Hot Springs, Palm Desert, Los Angeles, and elsewhere, according to Fisher.

One of those charities right here in Redlands is The First All People Unity Baptist Church, which was receiving 25 turkeys, according to Fisher.  

Fisher also said Keys Family Resource Center will get 75.

In Loma Linda, the Jerry L. Pettis Memorial Veterans Medical Center was getting 100, Fisher said.

Receiving the most locally is Joseph's Storehouse, with 250 birds. That organization will in turn add those to the 1,000 turkeys they've already purchased in conjunction with the East Valley Board of Realtors, according to food manager Phillip Saldana.

Saldana says they will be handing them out on a first come, first served basis (we're told some people even camp out overnight) on Saturday, Nov. 17, at 8:30 a.m. at the following locations: 

• Business Center Drive at Mountain Ave. in Highland at Habitat for Humanity- 450 total to be handed out
• California Street and Avenue E in Yucaipa in the parking lot for the East Valley Board of Realtors- 450 total to be handed out
• Beaumont Civic Center parking lot- 250 total to be handed out

Some of the types of organizations that were given turkeys included: 

• Churches
• Food pantries
• Senior and family social service agencies

To date, the Tribe has donated some 70,000 turkeys, according to Fisher.

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