Morongo Disburses $200,000 in Grant Awards to IE Nonprofits

BANNING (CNS) – Nearly six dozen nonprofit organizations throughout the Inland Empire received grants from the Morongo Band of Mission Indians totaling $200,000, providing funding for addiction treatment services, guide dog training and other needs, it was announced Thursday.

"Morongo is a giving tribe, and helping others has been a core value of our tribe for generations," Morongo Chairman Charles Martin said. "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 wellbeing of others."

The tribe held its second annual Community Outreach Awards Luncheon in Banning Wednesday, announcing the 71 recipients of grant awards for 2023. Each organization received $5,000. All are based in Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

One of the groups on the list was Murrieta-based MilVet, which assists deployed troops, their families and veterans with finding access to a range of social service resources, including for housing and educational aid.

"This grant will help us provide care packages for our nation’s heroes, both abroad and here at home," MilVet CEO Raven Hilden said.

Another recipient was Indio-based ABC Recovery Center, which provides addiction treatment services.

"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," center Director of Communications Maureen Girouard said.

Grants were additionally provided to Banning-based Hope, Empathy, Love, Prayer — HELP — a food pantry, Moreno Valley-based Clearwater Residential Inc., which provides access to affordable housing for veterans, CARE Project of Riverside, a breast cancer support organization, and Guide Dogs of the Desert in Palm Springs, which provides specially trained canines to the visually impaired.

In 2022, $200,000 was disbursed to 67 organizations that provide various nonprofit services in the region.

"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," according to a tribal statement.

Information on the 2024 Community Outreach Awards, including how to submit grant applications, is available at http://www.morongonation.org/donations/.

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