Acrisure Arena will light the Coachella Valley's largest holiday tree this Thursday, Nov. 12, kicking off a new fundraising campaign aimed at feeding families across the desert before puck drop on a Coachella Valley Firebirds game. The 55-foot tree stands on the arena's outdoor plaza, where the lighting ceremony starts at 5:30 p.m., with Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus and Firebirds mascot Fuego leading the countdown and posing for holiday photos with families.
Now in its fifth year, the tree-lighting tradition has become a fixture of the arena's holiday calendar, according to NBC Palm Springs. This year it doubles as the launch of Five for the Valley, One Valley Foundation's holiday fundraising campaign that runs through Dec. 20. Fans attending Firebirds home games can donate $5 at a time, with the money eventually split equally among 10 local nonprofits chosen by the foundation.
The campaign is starting off with a focus on feeding families through FIND Food Bank programs, the station reports. After the tree lighting, the Firebirds take on the San Jose Barracuda at 7 p.m., with tickets available through Ticketmaster or at the arena box office on game day. Fans who can't make it to a game can still donate online through One Valley Foundation.
How the Donations Get Split
Per One Valley Foundation, Five for the Valley is the centerpiece of the organization's broader Season of Giving. Across ten Firebirds home games, the foundation says it will introduce fans to ten nonprofit partners, and once the campaign wraps, net donations will be divided equally among all ten. Anyone hoping to pitch in doesn't need a ticket, either — the foundation notes that donations can be made anytime at FiveForTheValley.com.
The emphasis on FIND Food Bank lines up with a need that's been building locally. FIND serves as one of the key experts in food security for California's Southeastern desert region, working with more than 100 nonprofit, religious and community partners, the organization says. KESQ has reported that the food bank is helping to fill a widening gap in the valley.
The Numbers Behind the Need
Just how wide that gap is depends on which estimate you look at. Feeding America's Map the Meal Gap study puts the Coachella Valley desert region's food insecurity rate above 15 percent, or roughly 1 in 6 residents, according to FIND Food Bank. The same report notes that the unemployment rate in areas served by FIND and its partner network sits at 7.3 percent, more than double the national rate at the time.
A separate accounting from the Inland Empire Community Foundation pegs the number even higher, stating that more than 120,000 Coachella Valley residents face food insecurity, almost 40 percent of them children. It's not clear from available information whether that figure and FIND's 1-in-6 estimate are measuring the same geography or using the same methodology, so both numbers are presented here as reported.
A Tradition With Deeper Roots
This isn't the first time the arena has paired holiday cheer with a charitable push. Last November, the Firebirds held a similar pregame tree-lighting ceremony that also began at 5:30 p.m., partnering with One Valley Foundation and FIND Regional Food Bank, according to a release from OurSports Central. That event's companion canned-food drive ran across Firebirds games, Acrisure Arena and Berger Foundation Iceplex events through mid-December 2025.
The same release quoted FIND Food Bank's president and CEO last November saying demand at its Community Mobile Markets had jumped 30 percent over the prior three months — a sign of the pressure local food programs have been under heading into the holidays. Earlier efforts have tried to chip away at the same problem: in 2024, the Build Coachella Valley Fund announced its first campaign would target food insecurity in desert communities, saying it had already collected $100,000 in gifts toward the effort, per the Inland Empire Community Foundation.
