Tough Economic Times
February 7th, 2009Many young people and their families are having to cope with diminishing personal resources. At the same time, elected representatives at every level are compelled to respond to growing budget deficits with difficult decisions about reducing or eliminating community based resources. Many fine youth programs across New York State have already absorbed significant funding cuts. The Town Shop has weathered many storms in its 38 year history, but this one is a biggy.
Some Ways To Help
Express Yourself: Communicate with your elected representatives by letter, email, or phone. What do you value? What do you appreciate? They need to know so that they can make informed decisions. View List
Join Our Action Alliance: Send us your email address. We’ll send out alerts if immediate expressions of support are necessary.
Donate A Consumable: Occasionally drop off items that are consumed regularly (E.g., coffee, hot chocolate, jelly, bread, sugar, toilet paper). Camillus Methodist Church has kindly offered to help us with our Peanut Butter needs. 
Help Subsidize An Activity: Donate towards Park entrance fees, campsite rentals, museum admissions, internet services, magazine subscriptions, etc. (Contact Cheryl for more ideas.)
Money Donation: Any amount will help. We accept checks and PayPal.
D & C… Hang in there! Things are tough all over. I wish I could say things are different in California but the state employees are being required to take off two days monthly as a strange, stopgap means to hold back on spending. This is trickling down into many fine programs and will eventually reach me as younger colleagues will be dropped from county probation work. (More work for the geezer). In seeking support for the Town Shop, I imagine that you have been seeing grant money dry up and once-generous donors retreat. Julie and I are currently key sponsors to a rotating homeless shelter program in our valley. I coordinate each Tuesday night’s provision of a hot dinner, hot showers and a warm bed, using a score of volunteers. Once the cold season is over, I’d like to set you up with some chump change form the Hedrick coffer. Don’t hold your breath or laugh. You might as well get what I’d be contributing if the homeless shelter was a year-long program.
There is much to be said for collective fundraising. Last year, we sent Andrew to Sydney for two weeks through three-years of seemingly endless fundraising by church teens. You probably know just how demanding constant fundraising can be. Our most profitable gig, as far as the effort-to-earnings ratio was concerned, was a casino night. It’s all funny money and managed by a team of former casino dealers who teach roulette, blackjack and other games to largely empty-nester retirees. The kids sell snacks and a few parents run a bar. We have professional musicians who put together a jazz group complete with a torch singer. It beat the bizzilion carwashes and bake sales. I know you’ll pull through! Hang tough! Much love… Cousin Daniel