Basket Brigade Has Its Biggest Year Ever

This year's Thanksgiving Basket Brigade was our biggest and most successful ever, and it happened because of all of you.

Here's what our dojo family accomplished and who helped make it possible.

A record-breaking year

Together, we built more baskets than ever before, filled with tons of food, with help from a huge group of volunteers from our dojo family. In just a few weeks, our community raised every dollar needed for every basket, through individual donations and the support of incredible corporate sponsors.

Each basket held a full Thanksgiving meal for a family: a turkey, potatoes, yams, vegetables, gravy, rolls and pumpkin pie. Deliveries stretched across several cities in Santa Barbara County, reaching neighborhoods and communities all over the area.

This year marked the most families we've ever supported, the most money we've ever raised and the quickest full completion in Basket Brigade history. Assembly went faster than ever, and every single basket was delivered in record time.

None of that happens by accident. It takes careful planning, a lot of shopping and organizing, and a small army of volunteers who show up early and stay until the last delivery is made. Students and families of every rank assembled baskets side by side, then loaded their cars and drove the delivery routes.

Thank you to our sponsors

Thank you to our corporate sponsors: Teledyne FLIR, My Gym Santa Barbara, Channel Islands Surfboards, Heritage Realty Partners, DD Ford Construction, Pacific Pickle Works, Thrive Studios Chiropractic and Deco Drywall & Plaster.

A special shout-out goes to one of our own, Sensei Rainy Dyer, owner of Deco Drywall & Plaster, who was our largest corporate sponsor this year. And another special thank you to Mr. Andrew Wilson, who matched donations. Thank you both for your amazing generosity.

Why we serve

Service is one of our core values. We believe martial arts should make us stronger so we can lift up the people around us. The Basket Brigade is where that belief becomes something you can hold in your hands: a heavy basket, a knock on a door and a family that will sit down to a full Thanksgiving meal.

It's also where our students see what their training is really for. Discipline, teamwork and respect matter most when they're used to help someone else.

The Basket Brigade has grown a lot since its early days, but the heart of it is the same. Every basket goes to a real family in our community, and every volunteer who knocks on a door gets to see the difference they've made.

What a dojo family can do

Thank you to everyone who donated, raised money, assembled baskets and delivered them. You showed what a dojo family can do when we come together with purpose, compassion and a willingness to serve.

Thank you for being part of something truly meaningful.

Have questions or want to learn more? Contact us using the form below, and we'll be glad to help.