Tender Loving Christmas has been an annual tradition in the Morongo Basin for more than 30 years. The free Christmas buffet feeds more than 3,000 people every year. Managing editor Tami Roleff says the event is more than just a free dinner, though…
Tender Loving Christmas was started by Mara Cantelo more than 30 years ago to give people a way to share the day with others so no one has to be alone. “Tender Loving Christmas was started 32 years ago because I had no place to go on Christmas Day.”
Since then, it has morphed into a huge charitable event by giving out toys to children, gift bags to shut-ins, and clothing to those in need. But TLC needs help in order to make these donations. “We collect not only toys, but gently used clothes, clean, canned goods. They can contact us and we will get them. We don’t have a drop-off point at this time.”
But TLC needs more than food and clothing. “Pet items, because we deliver a large amount of shut-in meals and some of them have pets… so we send some pet food with the meals we send out.”
If you would like to make a donation, whether it’s money, food, clothing, toiletries, or pet items, call Mara Cantelo at 760-333-2413.
