TEMECULA, Calif. (November 5, 2025) – Despite the hubbub and hustle the holiday season brings, Pechanga ensures its community and those in need receive resources, food and necessities. From food and toy drives to dropping off thousands of turkeys at regional food banks to putting on two nights of an incredible holiday-themed night out for kids in need, Pechanga places the spirit of the holidays firmly into the region.
The season of giving around the holidays for Pechanga picks up in October with Pechanga presenting funds to 12 regional high schools. A tradition Pechanga started in the late 1998s, area schools have received more than
$7 million, allowing learning institutions to upgrade technology, music and athletic equipment, start programs to uplift special needs students, begin learning about regenerative farming and so much more through the years.
Early November fires up Pechanga’s turkey donations to three local food banks helping those facing difficult times during the holidays. The Community Mission of Hope, the Murrieta Pantry and the Menifee Valley Community Cupboard receive more than 1,000 turkeys cumulatively over the course of the November and December holidays. Food banks estimate 1,000 turkeys can provide up to 10,000 meals.
Toys go on parade at Pechanga for the holidays. Pechanga Resort Casino Team Members donate hundreds of new toys during the yearly toy drive benefitting the Salvation Army. Pechanga also contributes $10,000 annually to the regional Toys for Tots, plus another $3,000 worth of new toys and $7,000 in funds to the Spark of Love, a Southern California initiative run through the Los Angeles County Fire Department to collect and distribute toys to underserved children in five area counties.
Giving children and families in need a night out with holiday hope proves the ultimate purpose of Pechanga’s Holiday of Hope events. For two nights, about 400 Inland Empire families are welcomed by special invitation to enjoy a winter wonderland holiday extravaganza inside the Pechanga Summit Events Center. The guests of honor enjoy photos with Santa, a traditional holiday buffet style meal, train rides, Christmas singers from local high school choirs, holiday bingo, cookie decorating and more. The evenings are filled with holiday music, laughter and smiling faces. Each child and his or her family were identified by the Temecula, Lake Elsinore and Murrieta School Districts as in-need, with many experiencing homelessness, caring for foster youth, battling life threatening illness, or had tragic unforeseen circumstances impact them this year. According to a May 2025 report, homelessness was up 12-percent in Riverside County from the previous year. There were 3,990 homeless children and adults in Riverside County, Calif., up 265 people from 2023’s count.
Pechanga also takes the opportunity to leverage its major presence and sponsorship of Southern California sports teams for the good of the community during the holidays. Pechanga partners with the Los Angeles Rams for a large-scale drive through food donation event. Held each year at the SoFi Stadium parking lot in Inglewood, Calif., the donation event is open to anyone, no questions asked. Recipients are provided with a box full of fresh groceries, non-perishables, meat for cooking for the holidays and often fun freebies from the team and Pechanga Resort Casino.
Each year, the Los Angeles Chargers, the Chargers Impact Fund, Bikes for Kids Foundation and Pechanga descend on an inner city elementary school in the Inglewood area and provide big pedal power. Historically, all children in a particular grade at that year’s designated school receive brand new bicycles, helmets and bike locks through the joint Bikes for Kids initiative. Last year, each child, 400 in all, at the Ronald E. McNair Elementary School in Compton rode home with a brand new bike.
“Community investment isn’t charity for Pechanga. It’s recognition that we’re part of an ecosystem where everyone’s success is interconnected,” said Sean Vasquez, President, Pechanga Development Corporation. “Our partnerships with local organizations deliver tangible results: families with resources they need, students with opportunities they’ve earned, and communities with support systems that actually work. We measure impact, we build long-term relationships, and we show up consistently, not just during giving seasons, but year-round. That’s what being good neighbors looks like in practice, not just principle.”