Pechanga donates truck to pantry
The Community Food Pantry of Murrieta has a new refrigerated truck for its work in helping the hungry.
Representatives of the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians donated the 25foot vehicle during a Monday ceremony.
Pantry officials said that without the truck their clients wouldn’t have staples such as meat, eggs, milk and produce, a Pechanga news release states. The truck, which is worth $157,000, has the pantry’s logo and images of food on the sides, according to the release.
The pantry provides food to other food banks throughout the region, including the HOPE pantry in Lake Elsinore, the Temecula Bridge pantry and pantries in Fallbrook and Hemet.
“The gift of this truck means everything to us at the Murrieta Pantry, and to everyone who relies on us,” Maria Bhanukitsiri, manager of the pantry said in the release. “Without this truck, we would have very little to offer our clients and the pantry may cease to exist.”
Ken Perez, president of the Pechanga Development Corporation, said the tribe was honored to assist.
“It was not that long ago that our tribe did not have much and we were the recipients of charitable community outreach,” Perez said in the release. “We never forget that and we look to do what we can to help those in the community who are experiencing tough times.”
Also, Sysco, food supplier for the Pechanga Resort Casino near Temecula, contributed 200 pounds of non-perishable items to the pantry.
The pantry’s previous refrigerated truck was donated by Pechanga in 2012, but it was in need of replacement, the release states.