Spreading Holiday Cheer at YESS

The staff at YESS put in lots of extra hours to make the holiday season special for the kids staying in shelter. Throughout December, the halls of YESS are filled with the hustle and bustle of the holiday spirit. Walls and living spaces are transformed into winter wonderlands with snowflakes and decorated trees. Volunteer groups visited to decorate cookies. Our Artist-in-Residence, Lindi, let kids explore their creativity making pompom elves. Kids and staff created their very own 25 Days of Christmas movie marathon. And Santa even made an early trip to say hello!

On Christmas morning, gifts will be opened and hot chocolate will be made. The week will be filled with outings and activities for the kids. They'll get to go to the movies, the zoo, have special breakfasts and spend time with more volunteers. While YESS is a temporary stop, Team YESS works hard to make the shelter feel a little closer to home for our kids, not just during the holidays, but every day throughout the year.

Learn more about how you can join Team YESS and support the kids we serve throughout the year by volunteering your time or donating.
Holiday Thank You to Team YESS

Each year, YESS is blown away by the generosity of individuals, families, and companies in the community who come together to support the kids and families we serve.

The giving spirit of our community ensures that the kids in shelter wake up with gifts to unwrap on Christmas morning. We want to give a special shout out to the following individuals and organizations:

  • Jenny Farrell & RE/MAX Concepts for individualized gift bags for each child
  • John Deere for a van load of gifts and snacks
  • Principal's Executive Leadership team
  • Wells Fargo teams
  • ABATE of Iowa

We also want to say thank you to all the organizations and individuals who provided gifts for our Adopt-a-Family program, which supports families YESS serves in the community. This year, 45 families were provided support - the most families yet - because of generosity from friends like you!

Lastly, a huge THANK YOU to Kemin Industries for their generous donation of over $65,000 from their 19th Annual Holiday Charity Auction. This event has now raised over $727,000 for the kids and families in our community that YESS works to serve and protect every day.



Team YESS works best when we all come together, and this year is no different. Thank you, again, to everyone who helped make the holidays special for the kids and families YESS serves!

Team YESS Shout-Out: Famous Footwear

Thank you to all Famous Footwear stores in Central Iowa for hosting such a fabulous sock drive for the kids under YESS' roof!

YESS Receives COA Reaccreditation
We are delighted to share that YESS has been reaccredited through the Council on Accreditation (COA). COA partners with human service organizations worldwide to improve service delivery outcomes in order to best serve individuals, families, and communities. YESS was first accredited in 2010, with successful reaccreditation in 2014 and now .

Reaccreditation is a tremendous achievement that recognizes YESS as a provider that continues to successfully meet high performance standards while delivering the highest quality services to all of its stakeholders. YESS’ reaccreditation is active through October 2022. 
Team YESS is Hiring!

Do you know someone who has a passion for helping kids and wants to change lives? YESS is looking for Resident Advisors to work directly with the kids we keep safe. Learn more about the position!
918 SE 11th Street, Des Moines, IA 50309 | 515.282.9377 | YESSIowa.org