Make It Happen for Yolo County (MIH) is a community-powered nonprofit entering its 12th year of service, dedicated to ensuring that under-resourced transition-age youth (ages 16–24) can move into independent living with dignity, stability, and hope. Through the generosity of donors and volunteers, MIH provides furniture, essential household goods, refurbished bicycles, and ongoing support to young people transitioning from foster care, the juvenile justice system, or homelessness, without family or community safety nets.
For many young adults, family and friends help furnish a first apartment and provide encouragement during this critical life stage. The youth MIH serves rarely have that support. Your contributions allow MIH to step in and address furniture poverty—the lack of basic household items needed to safely establish a home. By transforming empty apartments into fully furnished homes, MIH gives youth peace of mind around everyday essentials like where they will sleep, eat, and gather. This stability allows them to focus on education, employment, and personal goals, while reinforcing that their community believes in them.
Once referred and determined eligible, youth work with their referring organizations or individuals to create a wish list of essential items. With donor support, MIH invites each young person to our storage units to select from more than 100 household items, empowering them to make choices and take ownership of their space. Volunteers then deliver items directly to their homes. Time and again, youth share their gratitude, not only for the furniture and goods, but also the feeling of being cared for and supported.
In 2025, MIH set an ambitious goal to serve 65 youth—and thanks to community generosity, reached that milestone by October. By year’s end, 68 young people received the support they needed to establish a home.
Donor impact also made possible the expansion of the Make It Happen Bicycle Program, launched in response to youth feedback. In partnership with Martin Luther King High School’s bicycle repair and maintenance class, MIH provides refurbished bicycles, along with helmets, locks, and lights—critical transportation for work, school, and appointments. The program nearly doubled in one year, growing from 17 bicycles in 2024 to 31 in 2025, prompting the addition of a dedicated bicycle storage and maintenance unit. This growth reflects both increasing need and the community’s willingness to respond.
Each year, MIH further invests in youth success by awarding the Make It Happen Youth Excellence Award, a $500 scholarship to a graduate of Yolo County’s Independent Living Program. This award recognizes resilience and commitment as youth build essential life skills in areas such as health, financial literacy, and career readiness.
MIH’s impact is strengthened by deep partnerships across Yolo County, including the UC Davis Guardian Scholars Program, Shores of Hope, EA Family Services, CASA, Yolo County Probation and Yolo County Health and Human Services, In 2026, MIH will host its 8th annual UC Davis Guardian Scholars Move-In Days, supporting students as they move from dorm life into new off-campus housing.
Because of donor and community support, MIH has been able to serve every eligible youth who has requested assistance—a rare and powerful achievement. As the only organization in Yolo County providing comprehensive furniture, household goods, and bicycle support to transition-age youth, MIH’s work is entirely made possible by those who believe that every young person deserves a safe, stable place to call home.
Make It Happen for Yolo County provides the essential items needed for a safe and functional home to underserved transition age youth connected with Yolo County. Gently-used furniture like sofas, dressers, desks and dining room tables, basic household items such as beds and bedding, cookware, plates, drinking glasses, bath towels and more, and bicycles for transportation—all help to transform a dwelling into a comfortable, personal home for our clients and offer transportation options. These at-risk young adults, ages 16–24 are moving into independent living from experience in foster care, the juvenile justice system or being unhoused.
Clients are referred to MIH through Yolo County government agencies and trusted community partners serving this population. Our majority volunteer group works directly with youth and their social workers or case managers to ensure that each young adult has what they need to begin this next chapter with stability and dignity. Make It Happen is the only group in Yolo County offering these unique resources.
Our unofficial mission says it best: “If we say we will do it, we will.” And we do.
Make it Happen provides the following items that can be requested by our youth:
KITCHEN: Dining room table, chairs, plates/bowls for 4, drinking glasses, silverware, coffee cups, dishtowels, hot pads, dish racks, drying mats, cutting boards, knives, mixing bowls, pots/pans/cooking utensil sets, bakeware, microwave, air fryer, toaster, blender, coffee maker, hand mixer, kitchen trash can with lid.
BATHROOM: Bath/hand towels/washcloths, shower curtain rod, shower curtain and liner, bath mat, small trashcan.
BEDROOM: Bed, mattress, pillow, sheet set, blanket, comforter, nightstand, dresser, shelves, desk and lamp, hanging shelves for closet.
LIVING AREA: Small sofa, living room chair, end table, coffee table, floor lamp, vacuum cleaner
MOVE-IN KITS: Reusable bag containing toilet paper, paper towels, a box of tissues, multipurpose cleaner, sponges, dishwashing liquid, laundry detergent, Command strips to hang pictures, small first-aid kit, multi-purpose tool and toilet brush.
STUDY KITS: Notebook, surge protector, scissors, tape, sticky notes, pens, stapler, staples, highlighter.
GIFT CARDS: Two $50 gift cards to either Walmart or Target
Bicycles, helmets, locks and lights.
All household items are new while some of the furniture is donated by the community.
The population we serve generally live in small apartments, often on the second or third floor. We welcome donations of small, relatively light furniture in good condition, which we are able to come pick up. We are specifically in need of kitchen tables and chairs, small couches or loveseats, shelving units, dressers, living room chairs, coffee tables, desks and nightstands. If you are interested in donating furniture, please visit our website MIHyolo.org., click on the orange "Donate Furniture" icon on the upper right part of the page and follow the instructions there.
Monetary donations are gratefully accepted. The following donation amounts will provide:
$15 - silverware for 4
$25 - dishes & glasses (place settings) for 4
$30 - 2 bath and hand towels, and 2 washcloths
$60 - microwave oven or vacuum cleaner
$75 - set of pots, pans and cooking utensils
$95 - air fryer, blender, toaster and iron
$325 - mattress and bedframe
$2000 - a fully outfitted first home
Make It Happen for Yolo County supports ALL under-resourced transition age youth moving into independent living. ALL eligible youth requesting our services are provided with the items they request.
The demographics of our clients served changes yearly. Last year, in 2024, A majority of the young adults we served identified as female, 43% as Latino/a, almost 16% as African American, about 14% as Caucasian, 9% each as Native American and Pacific Islander, 4.5% as Asian/East Asian and another 4.5% declined to state.
Organization name
Make it Happen for Yolo County
other names
MIH, MIHyolo
2014
Mission Category
Youth Development
Operating Budget
$250,001-$500,000
Organization Need
Funding: Unrestricted, Funding: Program, Furniture, Volunteers
Demographics Served
Youth & Children, Low-income individuals/families, Homeless/Underhoused/Unhoused
Local Counties Served
Yolo
Address
P O BOX 982Yolo County, CA, US
Woodland, CA, US
West Sacramento, CA, US
Davis, CA, US
Winters, CA, US, 95694