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Shango Controller Julie Dubocq, left, Manager Shane Barnes Barnes and Captain Cain of the Salvation Army prepare gifts and toys for Moreno Valley residents.
MORENO VALLEY, CA – Just settling in, Shango Moreno Valley Corporate Controller Julie Dubocq wanted to make sure the first nonprofit partners she selected were involved hands-on in fulfilling the needs of the community. She chose the always reliable Salvation Army and the food-strapped pantry stocked by Unity of Faith Christian Outreach Ministries as the first Shango nonprofit partners.
Opening in early 2020, Shango sought charitable partnerships that mirror efforts at Shango dispensaries. Working with the Salvation Army in Riverside and Moreno Valley, Shango selected three families in need and picked five Christmas Angel Tags to provide toys for children. Dubocq played Christmas Elf and did the shopping herself.
“Being new to the area, we wanted to make a community impact by spreading some Christmas cheer,” Dubocq said. “These two nonprofits look to fulfill an ever-increasing need in our community. Providing some holiday warmth by sponsoring families and buying toys was an easy choice.”
Shango aligns with the Salvation Army in other locations and Dubocq knew her efforts would be met with open arms. Captain David M. Cain of the Salvation Army of Riverside and Moreno Valley welcomed the cannabis company’s donation.
“The Salvation Army is so grateful for Shango’s generous support of direct Christmas assistance to needy families in Moreno Valley,” Captain Cain said. “These are tough times for so many families in our community. The Salvation Army couldn’t meet these needs without the generous help of our community partners.
The cannabis dispensary also held a Holiday Food Drive for Thanksgiving and Christmas donations of nonperishable food items to help local families seeking assistance through a trio of Unity of Faith Christian Outreach Ministries.
Shango Moreno Valley teamed up with Madrone Grown in Northern California and Unity of Faith to provide food for area residents. Food for Farms, a Mendocino County-based farmers consortium, provided boxes of food from farms located 600 to 700 miles from Moreno Valley. Madrone Grown is a group of Mendocino farmers of vegetables and cannabis.
Shango also held a Holiday Food Drive at the dispensary for the past five weeks that saw hundreds of canned goods and other nonperishables donated.
“We are delighted that this enormous venture has found its way to the needy families in our area,” Rev. Cooper Hagans III of Unity of Faith said.
Hagans said his food program need has doubled from 7,500 people a month to 15,000. “The need is so great,” Hagans said, “That we need to accept as much food as offered, even from as far away as 600 to 700 miles to Mendocino County. We are truly grateful.”
The food was trucked for distribution for Thanksgiving and joined by the local donations made at Shango. Another round of food is slated to be delivered Tuesday.
Donations of food and money can be made until noon Tuesday at the dispensary located at 11875 Pigeon Pass, Unit C1, Moreno Valley, next to Stater Bros, not far off California Highway 60. Hours of operation are from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week.
Food will be arriving from Shango’s dispensary to the church on Tuesday afternoon with distribution set for Wednesday and Friday at the church. More than 2,000 canned good items from 125 donations were collected for Thanksgiving. The church is located at 12625 Frederick St, Moreno Valley. Call (951) 394-3557.
Farms for Farms consists of a group of 40 farms, part of the Madrone Grown network. Madrone Grown high grade cannabis is crafted, trimmed and packed by hand in Mendocino County. Farms are Independently owned and operated by Californians. For more info, see Madronegrown.com.
About Shango
Shango is an established vertically integrated cannabis brand offering a full range of award-winning products, including flower, extracts and cannabis-infused edibles, in Oregon, Michigan, California and Nevada. Shango sets the standards for product quality, consistency and business conduct. The Shango brand has multiple full-service recreational and medical cannabis dispensaries in Portland, Oregon, Moreno Valley, California, Lapeer, Michigan and Las Vegas, Nevada. Shango recently opened a second provisioning center in Bay City, Michigan and will soon open dispensaries in Missouri. In Q2 2021, Shango’s Michigan operations will add a third provisioning center located in Hazel Park, as well as two extraction facilities, a commercial kitchen and an indoor cultivation facility. In addition, a state-of-the-art cannabis distribution operation in Southern California recently started up. A recognized leader in the cannabis industry, Shango is committed to cannabis education and is a fierce advocate of the safe and responsible use of cannabis products. For more information, go to www.goshango.com.
