Yum Yum Gyros & More in Canyon Lake is bringing back its Giving Tree for the 2026 holiday season, an effort that matters because it shows how a small rural restaurant can serve as a safety net for families facing a tougher winter. Owner Kimmie Proper launched the program last year, when it helped 17 local families, many with multiple children, and she expects even greater need this season as business slows and winter pressures mount in the Hill Country community.
Last year, names came through Mountain Valley Middle School. As Christmas neared, a few children's tags remained, and Proper bought additional gifts herself so every child would have something from Santa. She ended up with extra presents, which went to the school for students who had fallen through the cracks. Her motivation is straightforward: "It takes a community, which is kind of the entire idea of Saint Nicholas."
This year, Proper is enlisting the community's help. "It takes a community, and that's what we are here in Canyon Lake," she said. "People are just tighter here; we help each other out when in need." Customers can find the Giving Tree alongside a menu of homemade Mediterranean and Greek comfort food, including traditional gyros, house-made hummus in flavors like roasted red pepper, feisty feta, dill and pesto, plus salads, specialty pizzas, falafel and baklava. Proper's soups, served with garlic-butter pita, have a following even in summer. "I sell out of my hot soups in the dead of summer!" she said.
The Giving Tree is open to community partners and customers who select a name and contribute gifts. Proper's philosophy of supporting local drives both her food and her charity work. "Supporting local is why I'm constantly thinking about where I'm spending my money," she said. For those interested in taking part, more information is available at yumyumgyros.com.
The implications extend beyond one restaurant. Rural small businesses like Yum Yum Gyros & More anchor their communities, and as Proper notes, they can anchor holiday giving too. The Building Texas Show, which highlights stories of people building Texas, points readers to buildingtexasshow.com for more such stories. In a season when need is expected to grow, the Giving Tree shows how local generosity can turn neighbors into friends you can count on.
