Letter: Community funds available

The Willows Community Thrift Shoppe at 239 W. Sycamore St. has money available for deserving groups in our local community.

Applications can be picked up at our store by groups seeking funds to be used for good causes. If the groups so desire they can be invited to send someone to our meetings to give a presentation on how those funds will be used.

We have been raising funds for over 40 years in Willows. First we sold people's discards and donations to raise money to pay for counseling at Family Services of Butte and Glenn County as the Discovery Shoppe 3.

In 1994, when Family Services disbanded, the group decided they wanted to raise funds for United Way of Butte and Glenn counties. That office was disbanded slightly more than a year ago and we were advised that we could still raise funds for United Way of Northern California, but we would have to get our own non-profit status and take their name off our window.

We are now legal and have decided we would like to choose which local causes are awarded our hard-earned funds and not leave it to someone who does not have to deal with bags that are big enough for a dead body filled with who knows what.

The Discovery Shoppe in Chico has been making their own awards all these years because they decided not to go with United Way or any other organization.

We just need to know how much money your organization is requesting from us, what the money will be used for, who to contact in your group, and if you want to come to a meeting with us to plead your case.

For those local critics of everything, especially the one who said, "How do we know some drug cartel is not getting the money we raise?" I would like to say that no self-respecting drug cartel would put up with us old tough cookies that run our shop.

Marilyn F. Baker

Willows