This holiday season has been difficult for everyone and at the Miramar it was no exception. The beloved annual Meet Me Under the Fig Tree event, with pictures with Santa, tastes of Santa Monica and snow, was canceled in order to comply with the State’s Safer-at-Home order. While unable to host the in-person annual event , the Miramar team and Santa MoniCARES were determined to continue the tradition of giving that is always among the main reasons for the event.
From December 7 through December 24, the Miramar collected non-perishable food donations to benefit Westside Food Bank and partnered with Santa MoniCARES for a business clothing and blanket drive. The hotel’s food drive received over 4,500 pounds of non-perishable food items, which will help provide food security to individuals and families in need. The Santa MoniCARES clothing drive resulted in over 250 pieces of clothing to be provided to Chrysalis and over 450 blankets to be provided to individuals in need in Santa Monica through People’s Concern and West Coast Care.
“We really missed having the community gather under our Historic Tree this year, but we are proud that we were able to modify our annual tradition in a meaningful way and give back to those most in need in our community,” said Ellis O’Connor of MSD Partners.
“With everything going on in the world and in Santa Monica, we are grateful for the Miramar’s on-going support that will help hundreds of individuals and families in these most difficult times,” said Genevieve Riutort, Deputy Director of Westside Food Bank. “Thank you to the Fairmont Miramar Hotel and MSD Partners for continuing this tradition despite the uncertain times that we all find ourselves in.”
“Our community missed the magic of Meet Me Under the Fig Tree this year, but we are excited to continue our annual partnership with the Miramar and MSD Partners, giving back to those in need and supporting the work being done at Westside Food Bank, Chrysalis, People’s Concern and West Coast Care during the holiday season,” said Misti Kerns of Santa MoniCARES.
If you would still like to contribute to Westside Food Bank or Chrysalis, you can donate online at:
• https://www.wsfb.org/
• https://www.changelives.org/
• https://www.thepeopleconcern.org/give/
• https://westcoastcare.org/donate/
Submitted by Adam Englander
