Marcella Foundation

09/22/2026

Melissa hopped on the Tahoe TAP podcast this week 🎙️

She sat down with Mike Peron and Rob Galloway to talk about the work we're doing around the lake. Getting food to neighbors who need it, helping kids fall in love with reading, and The Atrium, our makerspace and community hub where people can learn, build, and start something of their own.
It's a good one. Grab a coffee, go for a walk, and give it a listen.

🎧 Tahoe TAP, Ep. 92
https://www.tahoedailytribune.com/news/tahoe-tap-podcast-big-ideas-local-impact-with-marcella-foundations-melissa-uppendahl/

09/19/2026

Construction is officially underway at the Atrium! 🎉

Last week, we gathered with friends, partners, supporters, and community members to celebrate this exciting milestone. We heard stories about the impact of FeedTahoe, ReadingPals, and our makerspace programs, shared our vision for The Atrium, and marked the occasion by signing a construction beam together.

When complete, The Atrium will provide hands-on learning opportunities for 300 students each year, space for community events with up to 125 guests, and a permanent home for FeedTahoe as we work toward rescuing and redistributing more than 100,000 meals annually.

We are incredibly grateful to everyone helping bring this vision to life. There is still more work ahead, but we are so excited to see The Atrium beginning to take shape!

📸 Here are a few of our favorite moments from the celebration.

08/31/2026

We recently received a wonderful donation from Cru, a local faith-based camp that was in South Lake Tahoe for the summer.

After wrapping up their programming, they didn’t want any food from their kitchen to go to waste, so that’s where FeedTahoe came in.

Thanks for a tip from Sierra Community Church pastor Nick, we got in touch with Jessie at Cru, who coordinated this pickup!

We are so grateful to them for donating this great food back to the community they were staying in, it was so appreciated ❤️ 🤩

08/25/2026

Today, we join millions around the world in remembering the extraordinary life of Dolly Parton. ♥️
Dolly started the Imagination Library in honor of her father, who never had the opportunity to learn to read or write. What began as one daughter’s tribute to her dad became a gift to millions of children around the world.

We have been incredibly fortunate to see that legacy up close. Here in El Dorado County, more than 4,600 children have been enrolled and over 50,000 books have arrived in local mailboxes, each one addressed to a child who gets to call it their own.

It’s hard to imagine a more beautiful legacy. Dolly made children feel seen, special, and worthy of a world full of stories.

We are so grateful our community became a small part of her very big dream. Her songs will live on, but so will generations of readers. ♥️📚

First 5 El Dorado South Lake Tahoe Library Pay it Forward Project United Way of Northern Nevada and the Sierra Dolly Parton's Imagination Library

All children under 5 can sign up here: https://www.marcellafoundation.org/dolly

08/19/2026

Meet Miri 💙 A South Tahoe High student who built a business () turning old garments into new products you'd never expect.

A torn pair of jeans? Now it's a backpack. A worn-out jacket? Now it's a skirt!

Miri believes that with a little ingenuity, we can make unwanted things useful again.

A few days ago she hosted her first clothing swap at the new rec center, building community awareness around a real problem: textile pollution.

We can't wait for our makerspace at The Atrium to open and support students like Miri, giving them a place to chase these kinds of ideas, ambitious businesses that do good.

What will you make at The Atrium?

08/17/2026

Last month, Joseph spent the weekend in Grass Valley taking Sawdust 101, a two-day intro taught by Dugan of Essick Woodworks a woodworker of 50+ years.

Joseph’s been participating in a lot of introductory fabrication workshops this summer while he designs our own programming for The Atrium. It's easy to forget what your first few hours stepping into a shop actually feel like. Taking someone else's intro class is an opportunity to step back in a beginner's shoes, and shows us what we elements we want to carry over into our own workshops.

Over the course of a weekend he finished a step stool and a power tool carry caddy. Needless to mention, Dugan's got the best shop hands you could ask for!

08/12/2026

Since April, we have distributed over 7,000 pounds of high-quality prepared food back to our community, all thanks to .

Huge shoutout to their chefs: Donnie, Michael, Brian, and Estupinan for coordinating every week! We are so grateful for this partnership

08/10/2026

We’re proud to share that Edgewood Tahoe Resort is deepening its partnership with Marcella Foundation through a $25,000 annual investment in The Atrium.

From rescuing food through FeedTahoe to helping create a space where local students can learn, build, and grow, Edgewood’s support is helping shape a stronger future for our community.

Read the full story: https://www.tahoedailytribune.com/news/edgewood-tahoe-resort-partners-with-marcella-foundation/

07/24/2026

Celebrating our year with over 60 volunteers at Tahoe Valley.

07/22/2026

We want students to walk into a space that inspires them. A place where they feel capable and can try something new and realize they can actually make it happen.”
We’re thrilled to see The Atrium featured in the Tahoe Daily Tribune! The makerspace will give local high school students access to the tools, technology and mentorship needed to bring their ideas to life.
Read the full story below:

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – At South Tahoe High School, it’s not unusual for more than half of students to graduate and stay in the community. In a town shaped by tourism, small businesses are...