On December 10th, the back patio of Tequilas Burbank transformed into a festive holiday wonderland complete with twinkling lights, draped garland, and Christmas music as the restaurant hosted its 12th annual Toy Drive event. This marked their fifth year supporting Home Again Los Angeles (HALA), providing dozens of gifts to local families in need.
Tequilas Burbank owners Patricia and Carlos Rivera are no strangers to stepping up when their community needs them. From hosting cancer fundraisers to supporting local schools and nonprofit causes, the Riveras have built more than a restaurant; they’ve created a gathering place rooted in generosity and heart. The annual toy drive has become one of their most meaningful traditions, and this year’s event was filled with more joy, compassion, and holiday magic than ever before.
Families arrived dressed in festive holiday attire as ugly Christmas sweaters, Santa hats, and reindeer antlers filled the patio. Santa Claus himself was in attendance, seated on a gold and red throne beside the Christmas tree, offering free photos and passing out candy canes to children and families throughout the night.
Adding to the fun, Artistic LA provided complimentary face painting, turning smiling cheeks into ornaments, poinsettias, and holly. The Christmas tree quickly disappeared behind stacks of donated toys which soon spilled out across the restaurant.
Former Mayor Jess Talamantes took to the microphone to welcome guests and introduce several community leaders in attendance, including Councilmember Zizette Mullins, Councilmember Chris Rizzotti, former Mayors Emily Gabel-Luddy and David Laurell, former Councilmember Tim Murphy, and Burbank Chamber of Commerce CEO Jamie Keyser. Their presence underscored the importance of local partnerships and collective support during the holiday season.
HALA CEO Albert Hernandez also addressed the crowd, sharing insight into the organization’s mission and the real-life impact of the evening’s generosity. He spoke candidly about the challenges many families face during the holidays, especially those experiencing housing insecurity. HALA currently supports families living in shelters, emergency housing, and motel placements, and earlier this year, the organization provided short-term housing for 49 Altadena families, placing all of them into housing within 90 days of joining their program.
Hernandez also highlighted the difficulties nonprofits are currently facing due to the government shutdown, which affects access to crucial funding for security deposits and rental assistance. “Some families come to us living in our shelter, thinking, ‘I can’t provide any gifts for my children because I need to save for a security deposit to be able to move back into housing,’” Hernandez shared. “But because of all your gifts tonight, those families don’t have to worry about that.”
In a thoughtful and empowering approach, HALA provides donated toys directly to parents, along with wrapping paper, tape, and scissors, allowing them to be part of the gift-giving process and create special moments for their children. “From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for being on this journey with us for the last five years,” Hernandez added. “We need to continue working together as a community and lifting our families up.”
The generosity doesn’t stop there. There is still time to donate new, unwrapped toys through December 31, and donations can be dropped off at Tequilas Burbank, Morrison’s Burbank, or Barragan’s to make it into local homes for the holidays.
