Morongo Band distributes 13K turkeys for Thanksgiving meals

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Elder Walter Holmes helps distribute some of the 13,000 turkeys donated by the Morongo Band of Mission Indians to non-profit groups in southern California. Photo by Morongo Band

The Morongo Band of Mission Indians is once again making Thanksgiving brighter for thousands of people in southern California.

As part of its annual Thanksgiving Outreach, the tribe distributed 13,000 turkeys to nonprofits, churches and charities in the region. The donation will help the groups provide 200,000 Thanksgiving meals to those in need.

"The roots of Morongo’s Thanksgiving Outreach program date back decades to a time when our tribe reached out to help others even as we ourselves faced uncertainty and adversity,” Chairman Robert Martin aid. “Those core values remain alive and strong at Morongo today, and we are thankful to have helped so many people over the past 30 years.”

This year's donation tops the 10,000 turkeys from last year. Overall, the tribe has distributed more than 100,000 turkeys in the last 30 years, enough to provide 1.5 million meals.

“Thirty years is an amazing milestone and a testament to the generosity of Morongo,” said Darla Burkett, the executive director of the Coachella Valley Rescue Mission, one of the recipients. “We are always very grateful for Morongo’s donation, which will help those in the greatest need in the Coachella Valley again this year.”