How this community works – identify a need, line up the right partners, call for donations and volunteers. The Tillamook Rotary Club did just that in early November. The Pioneer did a story (https://www.tillamookcountypioneer.net/tillamook-county-rotary-grocery-outlet-tillamook-ymca-partner-to-provide-food-boxes-donations-needed/) calling for donations for $50 to help support providing the food boxes, and the time they were hoping to provide 100 boxes. Fast forward to Monday November 24th – distribution day at the YMCA – and the group raised funds and distribute over 260 – 265 to be exact food boxes. It was a logistics, coordination, volunteer and community driven effort that was AMAZING! Here’s what Tillamook County Commissioner Mary Faith Bell shared on social media.
From Tillamook County Commissioner Mary Faith Bell – who volunteered to help distribute the boxes on Monday November 24th:
Bravo and thank you to the Rotary Club of Tillamook and the Tillamook County Family YMCA for teaming up to provide Thanksgiving dinner boxes for 265 families! And thank you to Tillamook Grocery Outlet for supplying everything needed for a traditional turkey dinner for six including pie for $48 per box.
What makes this fabulous service project simply amazing is that it came together from idea to execution in a few weeks! At a recent Rotary Club meeting people were talking about hunger in our community; a member suggested Thanksgiving dinner boxes, and everyone said yes!
In short order the Rotary Club and the Y collected donations to buy the supplies, and 265 applications for food boxes. Two weeks later, Grocery Outlet delivered a truckload of food to the YMCA gym, where 50 volunteers filled boxes for families. Recipients drove up, and their groceries were delivered to their vehicle by friendly volunteers.
It was a beautiful thing to witness and be a part of. I so love this community. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
From the Tillamook County Family YMCA:
(Monday 11/24/25) – The kindness and generosity of volunteers filled the gym at the Y and ensured 260 of our neighbors will have dinner on their table this Thanksgiving.
Here is a look at what it took to make it all happen, by the numbers:
3 – key community partners to collaborate and drive the movement forward
9 – hours from start to finish, loading and unloading food pallets, assembling and distributing boxes
18 – days since the inception of this idea
50 – the cost of one dinner to feed six people
70+ – volunteers to assemble and distribute dinner boxes
100+ – donors to sponsor each dinner
260 – boxes of dinners assembled
1500+ – meals made available this Thanksgiving
13000+ – dollars raised in two weeks to fund the project
THANK YOU, once again, to the Tillamook Rotary Club for promoting the program and acting as a second funding mechanism.
THANK YOU to Rob, Marilyn, Corey, and the incredible team at Grocery Outlet for ordering and facilitating the movement of tons (literally) of food.
And to all of the volunteers who came early and stayed late on Monday, THANK YOU for being part of this inspiring day and activity. The pride our community takes in lending a hand, giving back, and caring for others is truly inspiring.
From all of us at the Y, THANK YOU for allowing us to be your community hub and entrusting us with such special projects.
