Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation has announced more than $13.5 million in grants to support impactful programs across the region and the nation. Among the recipients is Feeding America Riverside | San Bernardino (FARSB), awarded $100,000 through the 2025 San Manuel Cares grant cycle to strengthen its Nourish Now program and expand services for the Inland Empire community.
“We are deeply grateful to Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation for their generous support and belief in our mission,” said Joanna Solorio, Interim CEO of FARSB. “This grant will allow us to support our homebound neighbors with emergency, supplemental food deliveries, creating lasting change for those who need it most.”
The funded program, Nourish Now, aligns with the San Manuel Cares “Empowering Lives” giving pillar, which supports underserved and at-risk communities through essential services such as food, housing, legal aid, senior care, and workforce development. This program provides emergency, supplemental food kits, and other essential items for those who are homebound due to physical limitations or lack of access to transportation.
“For over two decades, the call of Yawa’—a Serrano value meaning ‘to act on one’s beliefs’—has guided our giving programs and community efforts,” said Chairwoman Lynn Valbuena, Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation. “We are proud to support organizations like FARSB that uplift our communities by reaching some of the most vulnerable populations to provide critical services.”
Since the early 2000s, Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation has awarded more than $425 million through the San Manuel Cares program, investing in critical causes across Serrano Ancestral Lands and Indian Country.
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About Feeding America Riverside | San Bernardino
Feeding America Riverside | San Bernardino (FARSB) is leading the fight against hunger in the Inland Empire by providing food access, emergency relief, education, and advocacy to families in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. FARSB opened in 1980 as Survive Food Bank in response to the increasing concern about the dual problems of hunger and food waste in the Inland Empire. Today, FARSB is the primary food source for nearly 250 local nonprofit organizations, distributing over 3.1 million pounds of food monthly to emergency food pantries, soup kitchens, high-need elementary schools, senior centers, after-school programs, and more. With the help of these community partners, they make up the largest hunger-relief organization serving Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, ultimately making food security a reality for over one million households every year. Feeding America Riverside | San Bernardino proudly holds the 2025 Guide Star Platinum Seal of Transparency, the highest level of transparency achievable through Guide Star. For more information, visit www.FeedingIE.org.
About Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation
Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation is a federally recognized Indian tribe located on the San Manuel Indian Reservation near Highland, California. The Tribe, formerly known as the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, proudly reclaims their ancestral name—Yuhaaviatam (pronounced "yu-HAH-vee-ah-tahm")— honoring the deep-rooted heritage and enduring legacy of their people. Exercising their inherent sovereign right to self-governance, Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation is committed to providing essential services to their citizens by building infrastructure, maintaining civil services, and promoting social, economic, and cultural development.
As the Indigenous people of the San Bernardino highlands, passes, valleys, mountains, and high deserts, the Yuhaaviatam have called this region home since time immemorial and are committed to remaining a productive partner in the San Bernardino region.
For more information, visit sanmanuel-nsn.gov
Contact:
Rachel Bonilla
951-359-4757 ext. 177