Logo courtesy of Make it Happen for Yolo County

YOLO COUNTY, CA (MPG) - The Union Pacific Railroad Community Ties Giving Program has granted $10,000 to local nonprofit Make It Happen for Yolo County to address furniture poverty among underserved teens and young adults in the county as they transition into independent living.

The nonprofit organization provides furniture, household goods and resources to furnish the teens’ and young adults’ first homes.

“We are grateful that Union Pacific continues to be a devoted partner in our work,” said Cathi Schmidt, Make It Happen for Yolo County executive director. “Together, we are ensuring youth in our community who are moving out on their own can save money, improve their quality of life, turn a dwelling into a home and know that this community supports them and is willing to invest in their future.”

Union Pacific’s Community Ties Giving Program provides small- and medium-sized grants that align with the railroad’s priority cause areas in safety, workforce development, community vitality and environmental sustainability. For more information, go online to www.up.com/communityties. 

“Union Pacific is proud to support organizations doing the hard work on the ground to improve the quality of life for their communities, including those where our employees live and work across our 23-state network,” said Liisa Lawson Stark, Union Pacific Railroad vice president of public affairs. “Investments in high-quality nonprofits yield growth, prosperity and well-being of the communities we serve.”

For more than a decade, Make It Happen for Yolo County has served local transition age youth ages 18 to 24, many of whom have been in foster care or experienced homelessness. The nonprofit receives furniture donations from the community and purchases new appliances and household items to help youth involved with the Yolo County child welfare, mental health and probation divisions, as well as the University of California, Davis Guardian Scholars program and other local nonprofit organizations.

Since its founding in 2014, Make It Happen for Yolo County has helped more than 300 transition-age youth. To make a financial or furniture donation, visit online www.MIHYolo.org.