Yuma veterans group holds monthly rib dinners to raise aid funds

Baby back rib dinners at the American Veterans Service Organization in Yuma are helping pay for veteran aid at a time when the post is still rebuilding from a fire that destroyed its building. Each ticket sold helps support the group’s work for veterans in need, and the meal comes with coleslaw, baked bread and loaded mashed potatoes.

June Condon said the fundraiser runs every Saturday of the month except November and December.

The organization’s need for outside support grew after a fire in March 2025 started in a refrigerator out back, spread in the wind and forced an evacuation. No one was injured, but Condon said the group lost printers, copy machines and other supplies in the blaze. The organization kept holding weekly Tuesday meetings and continued serving veterans while it tried to recover. KYMA put the number at about 55,000 veterans and their families over the previous 15 years.

The Yuma Vet Center at 1450 East 16th Street Suite 103 offers confidential help at no cost in a non-medical setting and can connect people with VA HUD-VASH, Housing for Heroes and Right Turn for Yuma Veterans. Right Turn for Yuma Veterans, at 8889 S. Frontage Road in The Foothills, was established in 2014, can provide transitional housing for up to six veterans and uses donations for housing, food, transportation and essential services.

Marine Corps Air Station Yuma supports aviation, force protection, infrastructure and community services for Marines and families. Yuma Proving Ground is Yuma County’s top civilian employer and generates more than $1.1 billion in combined direct, indirect and induced economic impact each year.