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The season of giving is in full swing, but for Pechanga, supporting the community and those in need is a year-round mission. In December 2024, Pechanga made a meaningful impact with three significant contributions that benefited veterans, children, and families in need.

The MilVet organization, Spark of Love, and Toys for Tots each received vital support in the form of donated toys and monetary contributions, totaling nearly $25,000. Pechanga leaders emphasized their commitment to helping even more deserving individuals this holiday season.

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For more than 12 years, Pechanga has supported the U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots program with a $10,000 annual donation. This contribution enables the program to continue its mission of providing new toys and spreading holiday joy to less fortunate children across the nation.

California is home to over 1.8 million former service members and nearly 160,000 active-duty military personnel. To support these heroes, Pechanga team members purchased hundreds of toys for MilVet’s Holidays for Heroes program, a nonprofit dedicated to enriching the lives of deployed troops, veterans, and their families. Volunteers from MilVet collected dozens of toy-filled boxes from Pechanga, ensuring smiles and joy for many this holiday season.

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At a critical moment for Indian Country, Native News Online is embarking on our most ambitious reporting project yet: "Cultivating Culture," a three-year investigation into two forces shaping Native community survival—food sovereignty and language revitalization.

The devastating impact of COVID-19 accelerated the loss of Native elders and with them, irreplaceable cultural knowledge. Yet across tribal communities, innovative leaders are fighting back, reclaiming traditional food systems and breathing new life into Native languages. These aren't just cultural preservation efforts—they're powerful pathways to community health, healing, and resilience.

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Levi headshotThe stakes couldn't be higher. Native languages are being lost at an alarming rate. Food insecurity plagues many tribal communities. But solutions are emerging, and these stories need to be told.

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