I am worried. I am a volunteer at 1st and 2nd, our local thrift store where every person who donates work hours gives 100 percent of their wages to a Cook County nonprofit of their choice. Usually over 30 nonprofits benefit from these funds annually. We are led by a remarkably dedicated and positive group of volunteer managers who literally give hundreds of hours to sustain the store. It is a joy to work under their leadership.
I recently learned that the store’s governing body, the Council on Aging, has postponed our annual profit payout of $88,600 indefinitely. This decision was made because the store temporarily closed due to coronavirus and the fear of Highway 61 construction disrupting trade this summer (I have since learned the highway will not be torn up near 1st and 2nd until 2021). It is important to note that 1st and 2nd has a reserve fund of $20,000 to cover such issues. This decision was taken over six weeks ago. Have the volunteers been informed of the decision? NO. This means all of our hard work to support our local nonprofits in the past year has been delayed, creating financial havoc for many of our nonprofits. Some of these nonprofits have stopped operating due to this severe and miserly decision.
The list of nonprofits supported by 1st and 2nd is extensive: local churches, Violence Prevention Center, our schools, North House, Grand Marais Playhouse, children’s organizations and many more. At this time of national crisis when we are all trying to help our community weather through this difficult time, who would want to financially strangle our nonprofits?
Annie DeBevec, Grand
Marais
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