Morongo Band of Mission Indians donates 15,000 free turkeys in 37th annual giveaway

The Morongo Band of Mission Indians hosted its annual Thanksgiving Outreach Program this week.

The program is held to ensure local families have food on the table this holiday season. Its a tradition that brings joy to not just the families in need, but to the volunteers as well.

“I think it means a lot to the community because there's always a need. And when there's a need, there has to be somebody to help with that. So we're extremely grateful to be in a position to give back to our community,” says Charles Martin, the Tribal Chairman.

One volunteer drove all the way from Torrance to lend a helping hand.

“I woke up at 4:40 A.M. to get here," says Trevor Oliver with 'Helping Hands Global Center Inc'. "It gives us a chance to reflect on what we're actually doing. And what we're actually doing is we're putting ourselves in a position to put somebody else first.”

Throughout this week, teams spent the days packing frozen turkeys and preparing them for transport. They loaded pallets with the turkeys until they were full, then forklifts would take the pallets to empty trucks waiting in the parking lot. The trucks then distributed the turkeys to various non-profit charities and church groups around the Coachella Valley, Riverside County, and Los Angeles.

On Monday, those organizations-- like 'Food Now'-- will hand deliver the turkeys to pre-selected families who met certain criteria for the donation.

Tere Sanchez, the Director of 'St. Elizabeth of Hungary Food Pantry', says delivering the meals to the families is her favorite part.

“I can see the their faces that they’re very happy when we give them a turkey from Morongo, because they know they're gonna have dinner on their table on that day. And I can tell they're very happy. We really thank the Morongo Tribe, everything that they're doing for us to help our people.”

The operation is so extensive, that beginning next week leaders with the Morongo Band of Mission Indians will already start planning for next year's giveaway.

Since the program began, more than 200,000 Thanksgiving turkeys have been donated.