CABAZON, CA – The Morongo Band of Mission Indians awarded nearly $200,000 in grants to dozens of non-profit organizations serving local communities as part of the tribe’s 2nd Annual Community Outreach Awards luncheon.
The 71 grant recipients represented a wide array of organizations across Riverside and San Bernardino counties, including those involved with Native American culture, social services, education, hospitals or health organizations, and support groups for members of the military and military families.
“Morongo is a giving tribe and helping others has been a core value of our tribe for generations,” said Morongo Tribal Chairman Charles Martin. “We are thrilled to be supporting dozens of exceptional non-profit organizations who inspire us by doing so much to serve those in need and to promote the well-being of others.”
Launched in 2022, the Morongo Community Outreach Awards Program supports the work of non-profit organizations across the Inland Empire and Southern California by providing grants of up to $5,000 each to recipient groups. With this year’s awards, the program has awarded nearly $400,000 in grants in two years.
“We are so thankful to the Morongo Band of Mission Indians for their generous support,” said Raven Hilden, Founder and CEO of MilVet, a Murrieta-based non-profit that supports deployed troops, veterans and their families. “This grant will help us provide care packages for our nation’s heroes both abroad and here at home.”
Patrick Froehle of Banning-based non-profit Hope, Empathy, Love, Prayer (H.E.L.P.), a food pantry that provides supplemental food to low-income families in the San Gorgonio Pass area, expressed his gratitude to the tribe for their focus on helping the community.
“We are so grateful to have a partner like Morongo and for their continued support of our community and groups like ours that help provide much-needed resources to those experiencing food insecurity,” said Froehle.
During the luncheon, award recipients were recognized for their exceptional service and partnership with Morongo.
“We deeply appreciate Morongo’s continued generosity and support,” said Maureen Girouard, Director for Development and Communications for ABC Recovery Center, an Indio-based addiction treatment center. “This grant enables us to expand our abilities in providing medical intervention technologies that, when needed and deployed, could mean the difference between life and death for the very vulnerable population we serve.”
Groups that received awards from Morongo hailed from across the Inland region, ranging from Clearwater Residential of Moreno Valley (a housing provider for low-income veterans) to the CARE Project of Riverside (breast cancer support), to Guide Dogs of the Desert of Palm Springs (providing service dogs to the visually-impaired) to Olive Crest of Palm Desert.
Morongo’s Community Outreach Awards Program aligns with the tribe’s ongoing philanthropic efforts. Over the past decade, Morongo has provided more than $15 million to support local and national non-profit organizations that serve the San Gorgonio Pass and the surrounding regions, as well as greater Southern California.
