East Providence residents and siblings Donna and Steve Yan were raised to understand how vital food was to sustaining not just a household, but an entire community.

It’s a lesson they learned early and often, courtesy of their mother, Elsie Chin Yan, who was the second-generation owner of a three-generation family-owned restaurant — The Young China Restaurant — which operated from 1935 until Christmas Eve of 2004 on Warren Avenue in East Providence.

“Her main goal was that nobody should ever go hungry,” Donna said. “Whenever anybody walked in or she met anybody, the first thing she would ask is, ‘Oh, have you eaten yet?’ Or, ‘Do you want something to eat?’”

So when their mother passed away on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 22, 2012, the Yans wanted to find a way to honor her memory in a way that suited her, and would make her proud.

Both siblings had been involved with the Newman YMCA for a long time. Steve was a branch council member for many years, and has been a member since 1987. Donna is currently a member on the branch council. Along with asking for memorial contributions to go to the East Providence Senior Center, they knew they wanted to support the Newman YMCA.

So when then-executive director of the Greater Providence YMCA Jeanine Achin mentioned the possibility of naming the existing garden at the Newman YMCA after their mother, it seemed like a perfect opportunity.

“Being in the food business all her life, we thought our mom would appreciate it,” said Steve.

Donna admitted that they weren’t exactly experts in the beginning.

“To be honest with you, neither one of us knew anything about gardening or growing vegetables when we started,” she said. “So, it's been a learning process every year.”

But in the decade since the Elsie Chin Yan Memorial Garden was born, the garden has become something much bigger than just a garden.

For one, it is now an educational resource tool for dozens of children each year, who learn about planting seeds, nurturing a plant during its growth cycle, and then harvesting the bounty each summer. That has sometimes parlayed into the kids participating in cooking classes with some of the vegetables to make tasty dishes they might not otherwise find appealing.

“We felt if we had the kids come out to help plant the seeds, and help us with the harvest, they would be more engaged with the process of where vegetables come from and maybe entice them to actually try vegetables,” Steve said. “When the kids would go home, the parents would say, ‘Hey, how did you get my child to eat this vegetable? They never ate them before.’ But since they were engaged in the process, that probably encouraged them to to try the vegetables and say, ‘Hey, this is pretty good.’"

Additionally, the garden produces an impressive amount of food that is donated to the local community — anywhere from 1,000 to 1,500 pounds each summer, at this point.

Steve joked that Donna deserves a lion’s share of the credit for actually getting the garden to produce so much.

“Donna is the plant whisperer. I'm the plant assassin. Basically, I pluck weeds. That's about all I'm good for,” he said with a laugh, although he did take credit for the idea to plant bok choy and sweet potatoes, which are consistently high-yielding crops. “But Donna deserves much of the credit for the success of the garden, I think, along with the other volunteers.”

The Yans organize deliveries of the produce to various assistance agencies through Feed Rhode Island (formerly We Share Hope), in addition to sharing the bounty with families and children that attend the Newman YMCA.

But perhaps most importantly, the garden has become a meaningful legacy to a woman who spent her life trying to bring joy and full bellies to those around her.

“I always call it our labor of love, because we're doing it in mom's memory, and we're hoping that she's looking down at us and she's proud of what we're doing,” Donna said. “We hope she would give us a big okay.’

To be honored on May 13
The Yans will join five other honorees at the Greater Providence YMCA’s 2025 Y Heroes event, being held on Tuesday, May 13 at 8:00 a.m. at the grand ballroom of The Crowne Plaza Hotel in Warwick.

“The impact of the Y Heroes extends far beyond this event,” said Karen Santilli, CEO of the Greater Providence YMCA. “Each honoree has played a key role in strengthening the GPYMCA community, expanding access to essential services, and making a tangible difference in the lives of those we serve. Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, the funds raised at Y Heroes will allow us to continue delivering life-changing programs and resources to individuals and families who rely on the Y every day.”

To purchase tickets or explore ways to support the GPYMCA’s mission, contact Jade Ford, Senior Director of Development, at jford@gpymca.org or Text YHeroes25 to 41444