High Desert Second Chance

09/04/2026

🚨 ATTENTION — IMPORTANT SATURDAY DISTRIBUTION UPDATE 🚨

We sincerely apologize for the late starts we’ve experienced on Saturdays and appreciate everyone who has continued to show patience and understanding with our team.

Due to a shortage of volunteers, our Saturday team must complete an important task before we can begin our regular drive-thru distribution.

Each Saturday, we are currently pre-packing approximately 100 senior food boxes for our Homebound Delivery Program. These boxes are prepared for seniors who are unable to leave their homes or access food assistance on their own.

Because Saturday is the day when we have the largest amount of food supplies and volunteer support available, it is also the best opportunity for our team to prepare these boxes for delivery.

Unfortunately, this additional workload has caused our drive-thru distribution to begin approximately 1 to 1½ hours later than anticipated on some Saturdays.

We understand that your time is valuable, and we know waiting can be frustrating. Please know that our team is working as quickly and efficiently as possible to prepare the senior boxes and then transition into serving everyone waiting for Saturday distribution.

❤️ We kindly ask for your patience, grace, and understanding while we work through this temporary volunteer shortage.

Every person we serve matters—from the senior waiting at home for their food delivery to the families waiting in our drive-thru.

We are doing our very best to make sure no one is forgotten.
Thank you for your patience, consideration, and continued support of our team and the community we serve. 💙

🚗 High Desert Second Chance Saturday Drive-Thru Food Distribution is OPEN from 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM. Date: 9/5/26

As you arrive, please follow all traffic control directions and remain in your vehicle. Our amazing volunteers will come directly to your car to complete your registration and you'll Drive-Thru to our loading station for volunteers to load your food.

Below is a list of today offering while supplies last!

Noodles
Tepache drink
Tomatoes
Cheese
Rambutan
Carrot's
Plums
Greans
Potatoes
Cabbage
Cakes
Juice

09/04/2026

✨ The Creative Team Behind the Magic ✨

An event as memorable as our Arabian Nights Gala does not come together in a single evening. It takes months of planning, creativity, collaboration and a team of talented vendors, partners and volunteers working together to transform a vision into an unforgettable experience.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the incredible people who helped bring the magic of Arabian Nights to life:

✨ SignPros —for handling our many print projects and creating the custom details that brought our vision together, including our photo magazine backdrop, custom vinyl and custom table covers. Your craftsmanship and attention to detail gave the evening a polished, professional and memorable look.

📸 Rawfa Studios—for capturing the emotion, beauty and unforgettable moments of the evening through photography and video, giving us memories we will treasure for years to come.

🎶 Dale the DJ Dude/Prints Charming Photo Booth—for keeping the celebration energized with great music and giving our guests a fun way to capture memories from the evening.

💃 Stage Entertainment—for transporting our guests through music, culture and breathtaking performances. From the powerful Zaffa entrance to the Dabke and belly dance performances, you brought the spirit of the evening to life and topped it off with the thrilling snake dance.

💨 The Original Ho**ah Catering Company—for helping us create an authentic and immersive 21+ Arabian Nights experience for our guests.

🛋️ Home Staging by Laura—for creating our beautiful ho**ah lounge with elegant furniture and a comfortable, inviting lounge area. Your staging created the perfect atmosphere for guests to relax, connect and fully experience the magic of the evening.

⛺ Gigi’s Party Rentals by Yadira—for the beautiful canopy, elegant draping and table settings that helped transform the venue into an Arabian Nights experience. Your attention to detail brought warmth, color and sophistication to the celebration.

🔢 KT8 Designs—for creating the custom table numbers that perfectly complemented the theme of the evening. These thoughtful details helped carry the Arabian Nights experience throughout the venue.

🏆 Salty Beaches Creations—for designing and creating the unique custom award plaques presented to our Harbor of Hope honorees. Each beautiful piece helped us celebrate their service and impact in a meaningful and memorable way.

💙 Event Planner Sylvia Romo—for working alongside us throughout the planning process and helping coordinate the many details required to bring our vision together. Your commitment, creativity and support were invaluable.

🍽️ Flaming Kabob—for preparing the delicious, savory dishes that allowed our guests to experience the incredible flavors of the evening. The meal was an essential part of the cultural experience we hoped to create.

🍽️ Best Choice Catering—for providing professional bussing services and helping ensure our dining areas remained clean, organized and welcoming throughout the evening. Your attentive team helped everything flow smoothly for our guests.

🛠️Fitfamhd2—for designing and building the custom props that helped transform the venue and bring our Arabian Nights vision to life. Your creativity and craftsmanship added something truly special to the evening.

🎤 Our wonderful Master of Ceremonies, Paul Gostanian—for keeping the evening on schedule and guiding us through each special moment. When the overwhelming gratitude for everything our community has helped us accomplish hit home and emotions took over, you immediately stepped in and carried us through with compassion, grace and professionalism. We are beyond thankful for you and for the incredible support system surrounding us.

👏 A very special thank-you to our amazing volunteers Juan, Joe, Emelio, Tom, Sandy, LaDonna, Alicia, Ana, Kim, Simon and Lili. You jumped in wherever you were needed and worked tirelessly to ensure every detail received an outstanding finishing touch. Your dedication, teamwork and willingness to do whatever it took made an immeasurable difference.

To each of you: thank you for your patience, professionalism, creativity and commitment throughout the planning process. You listened to our ideas, shared your expertise and worked alongside our team to make every detail feel intentional and special.

You did more than provide a service or lend a helping hand—you became part of our vision and the story of this incredible sold-out evening. The magic our guests experienced would not have been possible without each of you.

For anyone planning an upcoming event, we wholeheartedly encourage you to reach out to these amazing individuals and businesses for your professional needs. Their talent, dedication and commitment to excellence helped make our Arabian Nights Gala everything we dreamed it could be.

Thank you for helping us celebrate culture, community and purpose in such a beautiful way. We are deeply grateful that you chose to share your time and talents with us.

We are because of you. 💙✨

09/02/2026

08/29/2026

🚨 ATTENTION — IMPORTANT SATURDAY DISTRIBUTION UPDATE 🚨

We sincerely apologize for the late starts we’ve experienced on Saturdays and appreciate everyone who has continued to show patience and understanding with our team.

Due to a shortage of volunteers, our Saturday team must complete an important task before we can begin our regular drive-thru distribution.

Each Saturday, we are currently pre-packing approximately 100 senior food boxes for our Homebound Delivery Program. These boxes are prepared for seniors who are unable to leave their homes or access food assistance on their own.

Because Saturday is the day when we have the largest amount of food supplies and volunteer support available, it is also the best opportunity for our team to prepare these boxes for delivery.

Unfortunately, this additional workload has caused our drive-thru distribution to begin approximately 1 to 1½ hours later than anticipated on some Saturdays.

We understand that your time is valuable, and we know waiting can be frustrating. Please know that our team is working as quickly and efficiently as possible to prepare the senior boxes and then transition into serving everyone waiting for Saturday distribution.

❤️ We kindly ask for your patience, grace, and understanding while we work through this temporary volunteer shortage.

Every person we serve matters—from the senior waiting at home for their food delivery to the families waiting in our drive-thru.

We are doing our very best to make sure no one is forgotten.
Thank you for your patience, consideration, and continued support of our team and the community we serve. 💙

🚗 High Desert Second Chance Saturday Drive-Thru Food Distribution is OPEN from 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM. Date: 8/29/26

As you arrive, please follow all traffic control directions and remain in your vehicle. Our amazing volunteers will come directly to your car to complete your registration and you'll Drive-Thru to our loading station for volunteers to load your food.

Below is a list of today offering while supplies last!

Canned beans
Drinks
Misc dry
Misc cold
Eggs
Taco kits
Tomatoes
Oat milk
Peaches
Onions
Pineapple
Orange juice
Melons
Cucumbers

08/29/2026

Round 2 Photos of An Arabian Nights Gala

✨ Moments From an Unforgettable Arabian Night ✨

Every photo tells a piece of the story—the laughter, the celebration, the meaningful connections and the incredible community spirit that filled our sold-out Arabian Nights Gala.

When we created our annual gala, our hope was to bring something new and meaningful to our community each year—an experience that celebrates culture, diversity and the beautiful traditions that connect us.

Our country is a melting pot, and that diversity is one of our greatest strengths. It is a colorful array of cultures, flavors, stories and unique experiences that helps our communities thrive, grow and learn from one another. Through each gala theme, we hope to introduce our guests to a different cultural experience while creating a welcoming space where everyone can come together, celebrate and feel that they belong.

Last year, A Taste of the Islands transported us through the warmth, flavors and traditions of the Pacific Islands. This year, Arabian Nights surrounded us with the rich colors, beautiful music, captivating performances and incredible flavors of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cultures. Each year, we hope to continue opening the door to something new while celebrating the beautiful diversity within our own community.

The evening was also a powerful reminder of what we can accomplish when we unite behind a shared purpose. Our goal was to raise $80,000 toward the purchase of a new 53-foot refrigerated trailer so we can safely purchase and transport cold food supply loads throughout the High Desert. Because of the overwhelming generosity of our community, we raised more than $169,000!

As you look through these photos, we hope you feel the joy, beauty, gratitude and love that made the evening so special.

Thank you to our sponsors, supporters, vendors, volunteers, performers, honorees and every person who helped bring this extraordinary celebration to life. These memories belong to all of us, and the impact we created together will continue far beyond this one evening.

We are because of you. 💙✨

📸 Photography credit: Rawfa Studios

08/29/2026

Round 1 Photos

✨ Moments From an Unforgettable Arabian Night ✨

Every photo tells a piece of the story—the laughter, the celebration, the meaningful connections and the incredible community spirit that filled our sold-out Arabian Nights Gala.

When we created our annual gala, our hope was to bring something new and meaningful to our community each year—an experience that celebrates culture, diversity and the beautiful traditions that connect us.

Our country is a melting pot, and that diversity is one of our greatest strengths. It is a colorful array of cultures, flavors, stories and unique experiences that helps our communities thrive, grow and learn from one another. Through each gala theme, we hope to introduce our guests to a different cultural experience while creating a welcoming space where everyone can come together, celebrate and feel that they belong.

Last year, A Taste of the Islands transported us through the warmth, flavors and traditions of the Pacific Islands. This year, Arabian Nights surrounded us with the rich colors, beautiful music, captivating performances and incredible flavors of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cultures. Each year, we hope to continue opening the door to something new while celebrating the beautiful diversity within our own community.

The evening was also a powerful reminder of what we can accomplish when we unite behind a shared purpose. Our goal was to raise $80,000 toward the purchase of a new 53-foot refrigerated trailer so we can safely purchase and transport cold food supply loads throughout the High Desert. Because of the overwhelming generosity of our community, we raised more than $169,000!

As you look through these photos, we hope you feel the joy, beauty, gratitude and love that made the evening so special.

Thank you to our sponsors, supporters, vendors, volunteers, performers, honorees and every person who helped bring this extraordinary celebration to life. These memories belong to all of us, and the impact we created together will continue far beyond this one evening.

We are because of you. 💙✨

📸 Photography credit: Rawfa Studios

08/28/2026

✨ A Night We Will Never Forget ✨

Our Arabian Nights Gala was more than a beautiful evening—it was a powerful reminder of what can happen when a community comes together with one heart and one shared purpose.

With a sold-out room filled with community leaders, nonprofit partners, businesses, friends and supporters, we celebrated service, compassion and the people and organizations creating meaningful change throughout the High Desert.

Our goal was to raise $80,000 toward the purchase of a new 53-foot refrigerated trailer, allowing us to safely and efficiently purchase and transport cold food supply loads throughout the High Desert. Because of your extraordinary generosity, we did not simply meet our goal—we surpassed it, raising more than $169,000!

This incredible achievement belongs to our entire community. Every sponsorship, ticket, donation and act of support helped turn this urgent need into a reality.

We were honored to recognize our 2026 Harbor of Hope honorees:

🌟 Impact Champions
IEHP Health Plan
Community Action Partnership of San Bernardino County
Southwest Gas Corporation

🌟 Nonprofit Champions
Young Visionaries Youth Leadership Academy, led by Dr. Terrance L. Stone
Symba Center
A Better Way Domestic Violence Program

🌟 Community Leader Champions
Dr. Derek King
Rick Bui
Darryl Evey

Each honoree represents what it means to lead with purpose, serve with compassion and remain committed to strengthening our community. We are incredibly grateful for the lives you touch and the hope you continue to inspire.

To our generous sponsors, dedicated supporters, talented vendors, volunteers, performers and every person who worked behind the scenes—thank you. Every detail, contribution, shared post, donated item, purchased ticket and helping hand played a part in making this evening an extraordinary success.

This video captures only a glimpse of the joy, beauty and community spirit that filled the room, but the impact of that evening will be felt far beyond it.

📸 To see all the special moments captured throughout the evening, be sure to visit our website and view the complete photo gallery!

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for believing in our mission and standing beside us as we continue serving families across the High Desert.

We are because of you. 💙✨

Video credit: Rawfa Studios

08/27/2026

Tomorrow, Thursday, August 27th, is High Desert Second Chance's USDA food distribution.

Happening from 10 am until 1 pm, or until supplies run out, at 16666 Smoke Tree St in Hesperia CA.

Drive thru only

Cars line up at our entrance gate on Chestnut off of C Ave.

Please note: our USDA supplier didn't have any boxes/bags for this month's distribution, so all items will be hand-loaded into your vehicle individually.

We have approximately 12 items to load. Items will be grouped into 2 sections, and you'll be required to follow the traffic coordinator's instructions as you move along the line to each section.

The items we receive from our supplier may be different than what's on their website. For tomorrow, we have:

Frozen fish
Butter
Plums
Dry pinto beans
Canned peaches
Quick oats
Spaghetti
Peanut butter
Canned chicken
Shelf milk
Rice
Raisins

Again, available until supplies run out.

It's our intent to move everyone through quickly while keeping a steady flow.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Address: 16666 Smoke Tree St, Hesperia CA

See you on Thursday!

08/26/2026

🌊🐬 SAVE THE DATE—LET’S MAKE A SPLASH! 🐠🦀

Join us for the 77th Annual Hesperia Days Parade and experience one of the High Desert’s most exciting community traditions!

📅 Saturday, September 19, 2026
⏰ Parade begins at 9:00 a.m.
📍 East Main Street in Hesperia—from I Avenue to E Avenue
🌊 2026 Theme: Under the Sea

Bring your chairs, blankets, family, and friends and join thousands of High Desert residents lining Main Street! Enjoy amazing floats, marching bands, horses, classic cars, performing groups, and plenty of community spirit.

High Desert Second Chance proudly participates in this community event each year! This year we are working on an exciting float we are sure will make a splash!!!

💡 IN THE KNOW—DID YOU KNOW?

For the past five years, (this year being the 6th) the Hesperia Days Parade has been proudly hosted by Rock’n Our Disabilities Foundation!

Rock’n Our Disabilities Foundation is a local nonprofit dedicated to creating inclusive opportunities, activities, resources, and meaningful connections for individuals with disabilities and their families.

The funds raised through parade sponsorships and participant registrations help support the Foundation’s programs and services throughout the year. When you enter the parade or become a sponsor, you are not only supporting a beloved community tradition—you are helping create opportunities where individuals of all abilities can participate, connect, grow, and shine! 💙

🎉 BE PART OF THE PARADE!

Organizations, businesses, bands, performing groups, car clubs, community groups, and families are all invited to participate!

🐚 Standard parade entry: $30
🏆 Best Decorated Competition entry: $35

Best Decorated Competition Prizes:

🥇 First Place: $300
🥈 Second Place: $200
🥉 Third Place: $100

This free community celebration would not be possible without our incredible volunteers, participants, and sponsors. Please consider becoming a sponsor and helping us make the 77th Annual Hesperia Days Parade an unforgettable under-the-sea adventure!

🌊 Register to participate or become a sponsor today:
https://rocknourdisabilitiesfoundation.org/hesperia-days-parade