A Harvest Meal for Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving at the Food Share will look a little different this year. Rather than one set holiday meal, you’ll have more choice, so you can build your table around the harvest foods you love most.

The Lopez community is made up of families with many different backgrounds, cultures, traditions, and faiths.

We want everyone to find foods that feel familiar, fit their needs, and allow them to celebrate in their own way. This year, Food Share will offer a variety of seasonal produce, dairy, and frozen proteins, giving households more flexibility in preparing a meal that feels like their own.

And because Thanksgiving is a time for gathering, we’re opening the Food Share on Wednesday, November 25, even though we’re usually closed the day before the holiday. We’ll welcome neighbors ages 62 and older from 11:30 a.m. to noon, and the entire community from noon to 2:00 p.m.

We’re also featuring something special from our Food Share recipe book: Baked Pumpkin, contributed by our dear friend and longtime volunteer, Lynda Sellers.

Lynda’s recipe turns a pumpkin into a beautiful, hearty meal, and she has a charming tradition of using individual pumpkins so everyone gets their own. We are so grateful to Lynda and to all the volunteers that show up week after week to make sure Lopez families have enough to eat each month.

The Spirit of Giving

Every winter, as families prepare for the holidays, the Spirit of Giving helps ease the pressure on Lopez households with children who are already stretching their budgets to cover basic needs.

This year, the need is very real. Between January and July 2026, the Lopez Food Share served 399 households, an increase of nearly 10 percent from the same period last year. And new families walk through the door every week.

Food vouchers and gift cards make room for a little more comfort and joy. Toys donated by local businesses, churches, and the Lopez Yacht Club bring something special for each child to unwrap. And for many families, there’s also a handmade quilt from the Enchanted Quilters, each one stitched with care.

With your contribution, LIFRC creates a Spirit of Giving “free store,” where parents can choose gifts from their children’s wish lists. That small detail matters. It gives parents the joy of choosing something special for their own children, and families get to experience the excitement of the holidays together.

Last year, your gifts made holiday mornings brighter for 80 Lopez children.

“With extra support through the holiday programs, our family felt held in kindness and respect, and we were reassured that we could provide meals and gifts for our family.”

— Spirit of Giving recipient

When groceries and rent take up more of each paycheck, the holidays are often the first thing a family quietly sets aside. The Spirit of Giving helps make sure that every child on Lopez has something to look forward to.

How You Can Help

Gift cards are the most helpful gift because they let parents choose what’s right for their own children.

There are several ways to give:

  • Pick up a tag at Banner Bank, Lopez Bookshop, Lopez Village Market, Southend General Store, Sunset Builders, Paper Scissors on the Rock, or LIFRC, then return it with a gift certificate.
  • Donate online at lifrc.org/make-an-impact.
  • Mail a gift to LIFRC, PO Box 732, Lopez Island, WA 98261, or drop it off at 23 Pear Tree Lane, Monday through Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Sponsor a family or give in any amount. Every contribution makes a difference.

Please bring or mail gift certificates by December 7 so families have time to shop and gifts have time to arrive.

If you have questions, simply give us a call at 360-468-4117.

We are grateful to everyone who makes this possible: the quilters at their sewing machines, the businesses who display the tags, the churches and Yacht Club who gather toys, and every neighbor who stops to take a tag.

It takes the whole community to make the season brighter.
Thank you for being part of ours.