Mike Hiles

With its official unveiling during Thanksgiving week, Soboba Casino Resort began sharing a special holiday treat with visitors. Along its unique Gingerbread Lane, guests are greeted at every turn with oversized cookie cutouts that boast fun facts about the centerpiece of the display: a 22-foot tall gingerbread house.

The emphasis was on giving during the recent Soboba Drive-Thru Turkey Giveaways for families struggling with the ability to have a fulfilling Thanksgiving holiday. The Soboba Foundation and the Soboba Casino Resort partnered with the cities, local agencies and school districts of Hemet and San Jacinto to provide more than 2,000 meal boxes to some of its neediest residents.

The Soboba Gives Back! Toy Drive began its annual philanthropic push to collect and distribute Christmas gifts to the neediest of children this holiday season. This atypical year, mostly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, has left many families with less earnings to provide toys for their kids. Soboba Foundation members are grateful that the Soboba Casino Resort is allowing them to help out the community by partnering with them again this year.

To engage young students even further with literacy, the Soboba Tribal Preschool recently unveiled an art project to serve as a focal point for that message. Lenora “Ponie” Mojado painted a tree mural on one of the large walls of the hallway and it is already making a statement.

The Soboba Fire Department recently added a new vehicle to its fleet, and it has already proven to be a perfect fit. Chief Glenn Patterson said he recognized the need for a patrol truck and once funding became available, he was able to start the search.