CABAZON, Calif. - About 80 miles east of Los Angeles, just before you hit Palm Springs, there's a little enclave known as the San Gorgonio Pass. 

It’s where you’ll find Ann Blair most mornings, chopping up fruit or veggies, getting ready for the early lunch crowd. 

Blair is director of Carol’s Kitchen, a non-profit dedicated to feeding the hungry in the community. The main requirement to eat at Carol’s Kitchen is that you arrive with an appetite!

Carol Ragan was born and raised in San Bernardino. A University of Southern California grad, she became a teacher in Boise, Idaho and did a lot of volunteer work with children, animal causes, and the environment.

But in 1996, she was struck and killed by a drunk driver. Her last journal entry read, “Ask your heart what is right and follow it,” and that’s exactly what her parents did. 

They created Carol’s Kitchen, to help people in her honor. People like Anna, who’s been coming here for three years. 

"I like the social aspect of being here and it's hard for me to cook a nutritious meal, so this way I get to make friends and have a nice lunch," she said. 

The kitchen is filled with volunteers, who serve hot meals four days a week. 

Carol’s has expanded over the years from one small kitchen to six. Thanks to sponsorships, there are also groceries people can take home so they don’t go hungry after leaving the kitchens.  

The effort to help the community has expanded to include gently used clothing. After lunch, patrons can visit Carol’s Closet. Tables filled with pants, shirts, shoes and blankets are free to all who need it, another act of kindness that would have no doubt made Carol smile.