Jennifer and Madeline Stein sold 183 succulent-topped pumpkins in 2025 and raised $7,800 for seniors in need. In fall 2026, the Solana Beach mother-daughter team is aiming for $10,000.

The Steins run Pumpkins for Good, an initiative that turns ordinary pumpkins into decorative arrangements crowned with succulents. Jennifer Stein learned the craft in 2018 and taught her daughter, according to the San Diego Seniors Community Foundation's project page. They started making them as gifts for Madeline's teachers before launching the fundraiser in 2020, when COVID hit.

From 2020 through 2025, every dollar went to the Community Resource Center's Holiday Baskets program in Encinitas, which provides food, necessities and gifts to low-income households. The 2025 haul paid for holiday gifts for more than 200 seniors at three low-income facilities, the San Diego Union-Tribune first reported. The Steins also organized a party at a senior facility where guests picked out items such as a blanket, fuzzy socks, soap, tea, a flashlight or a warm hat.

In 2026, the Steins have a new partner. They joined the San Diego Seniors Community Foundation (SDSCF) and its No Senior Alone campaign, described as the region's largest holiday effort for seniors. The campaign gives grants to more than 40 senior centers, VFW posts and community hubs across San Diego County so they can host holiday meals, parties, rides and gift deliveries for isolated older adults.

The need is significant. About 180,000 people in San Diego County are at risk of becoming or already are "senior orphans," seniors without nearby relatives, children or spouses, according to the SDSCF's No Senior Alone page. That number is projected to reach 300,000 by 2030.

Kristoffer Kelly, director of partnerships and philanthropy at the foundation, said in a statement that the Steins' work will now reach seniors countywide. He said the partnership will allow their efforts to benefit more older adults than ever, across all of San Diego County.

Madeline Stein, 16, is a junior at Pacific Ridge School. She called the experience of meeting seniors at the 2025 holiday events the most meaningful part of the project.

"The most meaningful part was just interacting with the seniors and seeing how grateful they were, and hearing their stories," Madeline said in an Oct. 6 Union-Tribune interview.

The Steins source pumpkins from shopping centers and, new in 2026, from home-grown stock at Madeline's uncle Jamie Stein's property in Rancho Santa Fe. Neighbors donate succulent clippings from their yards, cutting a major expense. Nonprofit status through the SDSCF partnership has also unlocked donated materials from local Vons, Walmart, Trader Joe's, Gelson's and Home Depot stores.

Also new for 2026: the Steins are hosting workshops where groups can sign up to make their own succulent pumpkins, with all supplies provided. Their first pop-up bazaar at Fox Point Farms in Encinitas on Saturday, Sept. 26, brought in more than $455.

Pumpkins are available for purchase through Sunday, Nov. 1. Orders, workshop signups and donations are accepted at sdscf.org/pumpkins-for-good.