Bargains that give back

Close to a dozen volunteers came to Bridge Street Bargains Sept. 22, to help with the thrift shop’s seasonal “flip” to winter clothes and accessories. A picnic table at Oddfellows Park painted with store funds recently went missing, but that hasn’t dampened the enthusiastic visions of store board members Julie Evans and Carol Beach.

The pair see a big role in the Platte Valley community for the bargain outlet, and the store is already making contributions in several areas. According to Beach, Bridge Street has donated to the Saratoga Community Garden, the Carbon County Library Foundation, several high school booster programs and a food bank this year. It has also installed lights near the hot pool, and funded a picnic area beautification project at the Oddfellows Park this year.

“When a request is made, we ask them to fill out a little grant application and then we review it,” Beach explained how allocation decisions were made. “Our long-term goal is to make permanent improvements to the town and community,” she continued.

In addition to monetary assistance, Bridge Street has provided work opportunities for area high school students trying to raise funds for field trips or other extracurriculars, Beach said.

Evans noted that none of the summer items are wasted during the transition to the thrift store’s winter line. Instead, she said the items are either stored for next year, donated to a Goodwill store in Laramie, or given to a homeless shelter in Cheyenne.

Beach and Evans are already planning projects for next spring and summer, including xeriscaping, birdhouses and more improvements for the Oddfellows Park as well as other undertakings. In the more immediate future, they say Valley residents should get ready for an event celebrating the one-year anniversary of Bridge Street Bargains at its current location.

The volunteers invite you to come down and see how much fun saving money and giving back can be.