Jacob Dimond / jake@yelmonline.com
Two local organizations, Youth Athletics Recreational Development (YARD) and Grocery Outlet, are going above and beyond to ensure that everyone in Yelm has a full table of food for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.
With Thanksgiving approaching, the two organizations wanted to come up with a solution for families struggling to keep up with rising food costs. Over the last couple of weeks, YARD has been connecting $45 donations — which co-owner Michelle Stephan said would provide a full Thanksgiving meal for a family in the community.
“We did take money donations, but we are actually fully funded. Grocery Outlet has to have a cap so we can order everything in time,” Stephan said. “That cap originally started at 100, but because we got 122 meals donated, we were able to go a little bit over that. We’re fully funded for 122 meals for people in the community.”
Additionally, the Thanksgiving fundraiser has a deeper meaning for Stephan and her husband, Dustin. She told the Nisqually Valley News on Monday, Nov. 17, that when the two were kids they grew up poor and would rely on programs like this for the holiday season.
“My husband and I both grew up fairly poor. I was one of two kids. My mom was a single mom. My dad and my mom worked really hard and tried their best, but things were pretty tight when I was a kid so we often relied on programs like this,” Stephan said. “I remember the impact it had when I was a kid, and seeing the joy in my mom’s eyes when she knew she could provide us with the holiday things. Holidays bring families together.
“My husband and I were hoping that we could really help the community out, especially because of the government shutdown. I know a lot of families are really struggling this holiday season and we wanted to help out in any way that we could so that way they could feel that joy of knowing they’ll be able to provide that for their family,” she continued. “We feel that being a youth organization, we never want any kids to be left behind. As parents ourselves, providing for your kids is such a basic need that we just want to be able to help people provide for their families this season.”
Stephan was also grateful to see a number of local organizations and individuals step up to the plate to make sure everyone in Yelm can enjoy a Thanksgiving meal. Due to how successful the first ever fundraiser was, she noted it will return in 2026 to help more local families.
“I thought it was amazing to see the response that we got because this is our first year doing this. The response was overwhelming, and we’re heartened to see neighbors taking care of neighbors and the community coming together to rally and support,” Stephan said. “We are grateful and overwhelmed and overjoyed that everybody found value in this mission. We’re hoping that we can continue to provide where we can.”
