Thanksgiving Appeal 2023
Dear Friends,
As we are preparing to sit down and have another Thanksgiving meal with our staff and residents, I am
overwhelmed with gratitude for the ability to do this work and see the changes made in the lives of so
many kids. I am keenly aware that this gift is solely due to your generosity and faithfulness.
We have been extremely blessed to not only run this program and work with these kids, but through generous
giving, we are now able to build an additional cottage and increase our capacity to help ten additional kids.
In preparing for our Thanksgiving meal, it strikes me that we will have many more mouths to feed at this time next
year. This past year, we have been able to repair our freezer and have been able to fill that freezer with food from
both local organizations and the animals donated at our local fairs. However, our dry storage of non-perishables
and dining hall are the next areas that need expanding and improvement in order to meet the capacity of feeding
up to 48 residents, 3 times a day, not including the staff that are providing care for them.
This is an important project due to the fact that a significant portion of our residents come from backgrounds of
not having consistent access to food, and this has caused many of them to have insecurities about whether they
will have their needs met. In order to combat this insecurity, we consistently keep an adequate amount of food available
so they can always have access to food. This is frequently our first way to build trust with these kids and
they can, often for the first time in their lives, know that they will not experience hunger.
We have been making swift progress on the building of the fifth cottage and we are incredibly excited to expand
our program and continue to grow. In our nearly 80-year history, we have been fortunate to have the support of
generous folks like you who are willing to continuously support our mission of rekindling hope in today’s youth.
As we are getting into the holiday spirit and having conversations about what we are grateful for, I would like to
share with you what I am most grateful for this year. I am incredibly humbled and grateful for the opportunity to
follow in the footsteps of my father and having the support of so many in continuing his legacy to keep
The Ranches moving forward and growing to meet the needs of as many young people as we possibly can.
Sincerely,
Mikela Kull – Interim President
