A generous community
Dear Editor:
To the Methow Valley Community: I just finished sixth grade at Methow Valley Junior High. When I first heard about the devastating war going on in Ukraine I wanted to help.
My idea to help people in Ukraine was to start a fundraiser asking restaurants in the Methow Valley to donate some of their profits from one night, as well as reach out to people in our community and ask them to donate. Five restaurants were excited to participate: Arrowleaf Bistro, Old Schoolhouse Brewery, The Little Dipper, East 20 Pizza, and The Methow Valley Ciderhouse. The generosity of the community and these restaurants has been amazing.
The original goal was to fundraise $5,000 to help Ukraine through World Central Kitchen. World Central Kitchen received a 4-out-of-4 star rating from Charity Navigator and a 100% rating for financial, accountability and transparency metrics. They currently are providing over one million meals a day in Ukraine.
This community has now doubled that goal. The shared profits from these five restaurants combined with additional donations has led to us to raise over $10,000 together. Without the leadership of these restaurants and the help of the broader community this would never have happened.
If you want to learn more about this project here is a short video explaining it further: http://tinyurl.com/methowukraine. Or you can also search for: Story Of $5,000 Fundraising Goal. It is inspiring to me that our small community in north central Washington can make such a difference. Thank you.
Samuel Polson
Winthrop
More on trails
Dear Editor:
Although I applaud the substance of the recent column on trail ethics, I do have a couple of quibbles. First, I think it should have been much more stern with a small subset of trail-using dog owners: the ones who bag up poop and then leave it out in the environment! This is the worst possible way of dealing with excrement and needs to be called out. I first witnessed this mind-blowing phenomenon about five years ago in the Berkeley Hills. Then in Seattle. And, in the last couple of years, here.
Since no human could possibly be that clueless, logic leads me to believe that this is the work of malevolent space aliens out to destroy our planet. People — are you aware that there are now toxic microplastics virtually everywhere, including in rainwater, our food and the cell of our bodies? Plastics left out in the environment may disappear from sight, but they don’t go away. They just disintegrate into smaller and smaller particles.
As a dedicated hunter of feral plastic, I sometimes reluctantly pick up these leavings and dispose of them, but carrying these vile baggies between thumb and forefinger seriously degrades the hiking experience. I doubt if any readers of this fine publication are guilty of such crass behavior, but if you happen to see any culprits, please explain the error of their ways.
Second, while enumerating the uses of our trails, an original usage was omitted: horse riding. Although other uses are growing at a rapid pace, horse riders are still out there on the trails and we count, too.
Please remember that the Methow Valley Back Country Horsemen have a long history of trail maintenance and improvement in the Methow, including building bridges and packing deep into the backcountry to clear trails. Many wilderness trails that could not realistically be maintained by backpackers are kept open through the efforts of the Back Country Horsemen. While not a member, I have deep gratitude for the work they do. Also deserving recognition are the outfitters who open trails into the high country early each season, benefitting all users.
Gina McCoy
Winthrop
Thanks for support
Dear Editor:
On behalf of our Public Hospital District’s commissioners, a sincere thank you to the community for the support on the recent levy request. This support is so important to keeping the high level of care available in your emergency room.
Lastly, the Three River’s Hospital web page is a great source of information on all the various health care services offered at your local hospital.
Michael Pruett
Board Chairman
Three River’s Hospital Public Hospital District
