TEMECULA, CA
Pechanga gifted the $157,000 refrigerated truck to pantry volunteers with a surprise inside from resort partner Sysco Foods.
Ashley Ludwig | Contributed
Pechanga representatives handed over the keys to a brand new, refrigerated box truck to the volunteers of the Community Food Pantry of Murrieta on Monday. Approximately 25 community members were on hand for the reveal event held at the Community Food Pantry of Murrieta in Murrieta Monday.
Pechanga members rolled out a 25-foot refrigerated box truck worth $157,000. This is the second food truck that the Pechanga have donated to the Community Food Pantry of Murrieta, the first was donated over 10 years ago, according to Maria Bhanukitsiri, pantry manager. That old truck picked up over 13 million pounds of food over 10 years, had extremely high miles and was badly in need of replacement. “Pechanga stepped up and helped us ‘keep on trucking’ once again,” Bhanukitsiri said.
The new truck is emblazoned with the pantry’s logo and colorful images of healthy food affixed to the sides. “Pechanga purchased the truck as a gift so the approximately 40,000 people helped by the pantry each year could continue receiving nutritious foods,” Green said. Murrieta’s Community Food Pantry pantry provides food to other food banks throughout the region. HOPE pantry in Lake Elsinore receives food each week, as does the Temecula Bridge pantry and Fallbrook and Hemet food pantries, making this a true community food truck. Grocery stores and other food distributors in the region donate to the Murrieta Pantry each day, according to Green.
Most will not donate perishable items without being able to transport them inside a refrigerated truck. The newly donated vehicle meets all of those requirements, allowing the community pantry to receive staples such as milk, butter, eggs, poultry and meat for the people it serves, according to Bhanukitsiri. “The gift of this truck means everything to us at the Murrieta Pantry and to everyone who relies on us,” Bhanukitsiri said. “Without this truck, we would have very little to offer our clients and the pantry may cease to exist. The population of our area has grown tremendously over the years, but so too has the need.” Ken Perez, President of the Pechanga Development Corporation, spoke on the donation and what it means for the community.
“We are honored to provide the refrigerated truck to the wonderful people at the Murrieta Pantry,” Perez said. “It was not that long ago that our Tribe did not have much and we were the recipients of charitable community outreach. We never forget that and we look to do what we can to help those in the community who are experiencing tough times.” Sysco helped Pechanga sweeten the vehicle donation by including 200 pounds of non-perishables given to the Murrieta pantry at the reveal of the new vehicle.
Food pantry employees say they saw an increase in donations from residents during the holidays, but those drastically decrease after the first of every year, according to Bhanukitsiri. “We rely heavily on the donations from our local grocery stores and regional creamery to be able to provide nutritious food items for our clients.” Statistics reported by the Urban Institute show approximately one in five adults reported experiencing household food insecurity in the spring of 2020.
That number remained the same in the summer of 2022. Experts point to factors including the pandemic and high inflation rates. The Community Food Pantry of Murrieta Pantry representatives said their volunteers collect about 1.2 million pounds of food each year from regional supermarkets and food suppliers. The food goes to people who have fallen on hard times, homebound seniors and others in the community in need of nutritious food items, instead of being directed to landfills.
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