DAV Chapter 92 would like to extend our deepest and most heartfelt thank you to our incredible Thanksgiving Turkey Giveaway Team. 
What you all pulled off was nothing short of a well-executed mission. The planning, the coordination, the heavy lifting, the long hours — every piece of this operation was handled with dedication, teamwork, and a whole lot of heart.
From the moment we picked up and loaded 100 frozen turkeys and 100 full Thanksgiving dinner kits 
into that massive trailer, to carefully coordinating an execution plan that would not disrupt daily operations at the High Desert Vet Center or inconvenience their neighboring tenants — this was a true example of teamwork at its finest. And let’s be honest… that was not light duty. That was full-on manual labor with extra grit.
A special salute to our master planners: Jonathan Dvareckas, Mike Parker, Claudia Overson, Amber Tromblee, and Steve Clark — thank you for turning chaos into order and making sure this mission ran smoothly. Thank you to Jonathan, Mike, and Alan for bringing the muscle power to load and unload everything — and a huge extra thank-you to Alan for volunteering your truck and trailer. That generous act alone made this entire operation possible.
Mike and Claudia, your curbside distribution plan was absolute genius — getting our Veterans in and out with Thanksgiving meals without ever leaving their vehicles. Efficient, smooth, and stress-free… now that’s five-star curbside service, military-style.
Thank you to Commanders Justin and Crystal Horne for coming out to support distribution, along with our newly sworn-in Auxiliary Jr. Vice Commander Claudia, Mike, Steve, Alan, Amber, Lourdes, Darryl, Jacqueline O., and newly elected Sr. Vice Commander Lilian Pederson for braving the cold and helping distribute. It was a bitterly cold day with a winter storm threatening to roll in — but our mission came first. Cold hands, warm hearts, and unwavering commitment carried us all the way to the final turkey.
Over 138 Thanksgiving meals provided! A special thanks to all of our partners for making this happen. Without these great organizations, this would not have been possible:
Apple Valley Child Care Center
R & S Beverage Co.
Because of your efforts, all turkeys were successfully distributed. We were also blessed to share additional turkeys with American Legion Leo Collins post 229, our beloved Gold Star Mom, Lynda Lambert of Inland Empire Gold Star Moms (American Gold Star Mothers for Gold Star families) and for her event serving Thanksgiving to Single Soldiers and First Responders at Fort Irwin, and 111 Hope Foundation for their Community Thanksgiving Dinner. That kind of collaboration and community-wide outreach only happens because of true community and true service.
This year, our Chapter has been incredibly blessed with growing support, and because of that support, we were able to help more High Desert Veterans and families than ever before. That is something to be proud of.
As we close out this year, let’s take a moment to reflect on what we’ve accomplished — and then set our sights even higher. With your continued love, support, and dedication, 2026 is going to be even greater.
From this our hearts to yours — thank you for standing the watch for our Veterans.