Getting to the Elephant
The Country Fair White Elephant Thrift Store is at 601 N. La Cañada Drive in Green Valley.
From Tucson, drive south on Interstate 19 to Green Valley and take the Esperanza Boulevard exit. Follow Esperanza west to La Cañada Drive, turn north and follow La Cañada to the store. It's on the left.
How to apply for funding
The Country Fair White Elephant Thrift Store has provided nearly $10 million in funding to charities and nonprofit organizations, including $1.4 million last year, says store manager Lisa Robertson.
Recipients range from schools and Boy Scout troops to children's assistance groups and arts organizations.
Robertson said interested nonprofit organizations may begin the application process by sending a letter on letterhead stationery to the White Elephant Store at 601 N. La Cañada Drive, Green Valley, AZ 85614. The letter should describe the organization, its work and its funding needs.
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The next step involves an on-site visit from members of the store's Contributions Committee, which announces funding awards in December. Qualified applicants will also fill out a funding application.
For more information, call 625-4119.
What shoppers say
Customers come for the bargains - but many say a visit to the White Elephant is also a part of the Green Valley social scene.
Some comments:
● "I like the prices, and you meet a lot of really nice people," says shopper Al Rhatigan of Green Valley. "I'm here six days a week. It's just a nice place to be."
● "This store makes it very inexpensive to shop for my kids' clothes for college," says Marsha Thompson of Sahuarita.
● "We come down here to shoot the breeze and do some shopping," says Green Valley resident George Bastardo, who often meets Nogales residents Rosando Quezada and Jesus de la Cerva for conversation before the store opens for the day.
● "This is one of the best thrift stores I've ever seen," says Oliver Baum of Green Valley. "I look for electronics stuff, cameras and other things."
● "I'm looking for bargains, and I find them here," says Green Valley resident Gina Hallgren. "I call myself Second-Hand Rose."
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