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Newspapers in Education students visit Community Budget Center

Young writers from Craig elementary schools describe experience at community service organization

Ryan Peck, a first-grader at Sunset Elementary School, takes notes about the Community Budget Center’s services and mission on March 11 during the third Newspapers in Education field trip. The students in the program — from each of the district’s fourth elementary schools — watched their stories print on the Steamboat Pilot & Today press on Thursday.
Michelle Balleck





Ryan Peck, a first-grader at Sunset Elementary School, takes notes about the Community Budget Center’s services and mission on March 11 during the third Newspapers in Education field trip. The students in the program — from each of the district’s fourth elementary schools — watched their stories print on the Steamboat Pilot & Today press on Thursday.
Michelle Balleck

Megan Olinger, left, and Darbi Zimmerman, third-graders at Ridgeview Elementary School, takes notes as Community Budget Center office manager Karen Brown describes the organization’s facilities and purpose on March 11 during a Craig Daily Press Newspapers in Education field trip. The theme for the 2010-11 program was community service, and students learned during their third field trip about how the Budget Center assists residents with its profits.Michelle Balleck

The Newspapers in Education program is a collaborative effort between Moffat County School District and the Craig Daily Press.

This program not only introduces children to the world of journalism, but also to the world around them.

The theme selected for this year’s program is community service. We want the students to recognize and appreciate the efforts of a few of the numerous nonprofit organizations and volunteers we have in our community.



This year, young writers from East, Ridgeview, Sandrock and Sunset elementary schools have participated in several field trips to learn about various organizations and their programs and how they affect our community and our neighbors.

In this section, students write about their third field trip of the year to the Community Budget Center in downtown Craig. The young writers learned about the nonprofit store’s collection and sales of donated items and how those proceeds benefit those in need in our community.



The students also were able to travel to the Steamboat Pilot & Today office Thursday to watch this publication print and come off the press. We always enjoy their excitement to see the machinery in action and tear through the section to find their photos and stories.

We hope you enjoy reading their stories about their experience.

Michelle Balleck, Newspapers in Education coordinator

EAST ELEMENTARY

Help the Budget Center

The Budget Center has a large storage room. They are running out of beds. They take things people don’t need any more. There are seven employees. They keep dangerous stuff behind the counter. The Budget Center donates toys. Come on down to the Budget Center.

— Luke Guire, first grade

The Budget Center

Today I went to the Budget Center. They work very hard there. There were many, many piles of things for people to buy. The Budget Center helps people.

— Kori Deaton, first grade

A Day at the Budget Center

The Budget Center is like a store. This is their 31st year to be open. The manager, Karen, has been there for 13 years. At the Budget Center they have a dungeon. This is the backroom where they have most of the donations. We weren’t allowed to go upstairs, but that is where they store the boxes. They have a trailer that takes things to Denver. There they dump all the things that people don’t buy. Outside they have a parking lot for the cars and trucks.

— Kale Beckett, first grade

The Budget Center

Thaye have a lot of stuff there. They have all of their things sorted into big piles. They had some bad stuff too. They have a lot of clothes.

— Kaige Reidhead, first grade

Budget Center

We went to the Budget center. They keep dangerous stuff behind the counter. They take things that people don’t need anymore. They opened in 1980, by two women in a garage. There are seven employees that sort and clean, and two volunteers that help out.

— Cristal Holguin, second grade

The Budget Center

The Budget Center is running out of beds. They are a non-profit store. They opened in 1980 by two women in a garage. They have seven employees that sort and clean. They get grants from United Way and Energy Outreach Colorado. The Budget Center is a very good place for people and kids.

— LeeAnna Nelson, second grade

The Day We Went to C.B.C.

Today we went to the Budget Center. It’s called CBC, which stands for Community Budget Center. When they have too much money, they use some of the money to help others. They collect stuff that people don’t need. We went into the storage room, and it had a pile of bags. There was an upstairs, but it was too dangerous to go up there. The dangerous stuff like chains saws are put behind the counter. The Budget Center is running out of beds, so please give some to the CBC.

— Keona Nunnery, second grade

The Budget Center

Hi my name is Giovany, and I would like to tell you about the Budget Center. Today we went to there and saw a huge mountain of stuff. People bring their old things for others to use. The Budget Center sell stuff like movies, toys, and beds and then uses their money to help others. So donate now.

— Giovany Tarango, second grade

Budget Center

When we went to the Budget Center and we learned what they do. They said that they have hangers for women and for the men. Each year, they have volunteers that help them sort. In their “dungeon”, they have a mountain of bags. There are more than 100 bags in there. If people need help, they will give them what they need. The Budget Center started in 1980 by two older ladies. They have a lot of stuff. They are running out of beds. They have a lot of glass in the store, so they put the glass stuff where it won’t break

— Savannah McGruder, third grade

Budget Center

Today we went to the Budget Center. Volunteers and employees work there. Every year they have thousands of donations of things like toys, videos, furniture, clothing and cars. One of the things they do is allow people to donate stuff. They have a huge storage room, too. It all began in 1980, so that means it has been around for 31 years! We spent an hour and a half on March 11th, learning all about the Budget Center.

— Caleb Dotson, third grade

Come on Down to the Budget Center

The Budget Center has a storage room called the “Dungeon”. If they can’t sell certain clothes, they have a truck that comes from Denver to take those clothes. The store has been going since 1980. They are running out of beds. They collect things that people do not need anymore. So that’s why you should come on down to the Budget Center.

— Dru Copeland, third grade

You Should Go To The Budget Center

On March 11, 2011, we went to the budget center and I learned that they pay for people’s prescriptions when they need them. Seven employees and two volunteers work at the budget center that sort and clean. They collect people’s things that they don’t need. They also help all kinds of people. Their main goal is to sell as much stuff as they can. They also have a dungeon room that is filled with clothes, all the way to the ceiling. They started the store in 1980 with two women in a garage. They are short on beds right now. They keep dangerous stuff behind the counter. The biggest thing they ever got was a car.

— Makayla Martinez, third grade

A Visit to the Budget Center

March 11, 2011 we went to the Budget Center to learn about it. The Budget Center or the thrift shop takes things that people don’t need or use anymore. When people give these things to the Budget Center, the people who work there sell those items so someone else can make use of them. The donations that they get are mainly what keep the shop going. Two women in a garage originally opened the Budget Center in 1980. This is their 31st year. The people who work there try to sort out the things they get the best they can. There are seven employees and two volunteers that sort and clean. The Budget Center is non-profit. They also help people in need with medical needs, food, bills, and electricity. If you are in need, you can fill out a form and they will help. Things that don’t sell are either donated or recycled. They are currently low on beds, and slow on getting furniture. Maybe you could help by donating something to the Budget Center.

— Caitlin Bagley, fourth grade

Let’s Go Down to the Budget Center

The budget Center is very important. They take things people don’t need any more. The stuff that people bring goes to be sorted and cleaned. If they don’t have room for the stuff to go on the shelf, they put it in the storage, which they call the dungeon room. The donations keep the Budget Center running. They use some of the money they need, and donate the rest. The Budget Center opened in 1980 by two women in a garage. Karen, who is the manager, has been with the Budget Center for 13 years. She has seven employees working for her and two volunteers. She gets eight to ten volunteers each year. They got vehicles once, and they priced them from $140 dollars to $80 dollars depending on the kind of vehicle it was. They are really low on beds and other kinds of furniture. So let’s help and donate! They fill trailers full of stuff and take it to Denver to help recycle. So please, please help!

— Jaidyn Steele, fourth grade

A Day at the Budget Center

Today on March 11, 2011 we went to the Budget Center. We learned about how they keep their Budget Center going. They keep the winter stuff in a room that they call the dungeon. When it is summer, the dungeon is just a storage room. In the back of the store they take donations. The Budget Center started in a garage by two women who started the program. Two volunteers work there and one is over 90 years old.

All of the toys are separated from the stuffed animals and other things. All of the men’s clothing are on black hangers and all of the women’s clothing are put on white or clear hangers. Some of the stuff goes to Denver and Colorado Springs. There are things that the Budget Center won’t take such as couches with holes in it that cats and dogs have been on. If something stinks they won’t take it either.

— Julia Reidhead, fourth grade

The Budget Center

Friday, March 11, 2011we went to the Budget Center. The manager, Karen Brown took us for a tour and told us about the Budget Center. She has been working at the Budget Center for 13 years. The Budget Center started in the year 1980, with two older ladies in a garage. It’s come a long way, and they have been in three different buildings over the years. They have nine people working for them, seven employees and two volunteers. The Budget Center of Craig is a non-profit business, which mean that they take the money they need and give the rest away. They give it to people if they have medical needs, energy needs like heating and light, and they also help people pay the bills. Once a year, they get grants from the United Way and Energy Outreach Colorado. One of the hardest things that they have to do is sort all the donations that they get. They sort by gender and age; they also have to put different color of tags on things so they know what has been there the longest. If you had a pair of pants that you donated and they have a hole in them, they give them to a charity that donates the pants to a third world country where they don’t have clothes, or they grind them up and make carpet out of them. The Craig Budget Center is running low on beds and furniture. So go down to the Budget Center and take a look.

— Brent Cook, fifth grade

Our Community Thrift Shop

Locally owned and operated by Karen Brown, is a large Budget Center where people can deliver unwanted items someone else might use. The store is non-profit, which means they only keep the money they need. There are seven employees and their names are Janice, Vicky, Shirley, Debbie, Becky, Tim, and Krisha. Two of them work 40 hours a week, while the other six work 32 hours a week. Karen Brown is the manager. The store was opened in 1980, 31 years ago by two old ladies in a garage. They sort donations into the “Dungeon”, with miscellaneous items in boxes and clothes in bags. The “Dungeon” is really the storage room. To ensure children don’t get cut or hurt, they have to keep things like knives and other sharp objects behind the counter in a glass cases. Everybody pitches in to help, sort, clean, and price the donations. In the “Dungeon”, there are bags of clothes clear up to the ceiling. They also have a small sporting goods center. The sporting goods room is small and isn’t noticed. Sometimes in the summer, they get trucks and trailers full of donations (that’s quite a lot of sorting to do)! They also have a trailer for objects they cannot sell that goes to Denver to be sold at Denver Arc store. Another fact is that every year, they get grants from United Way and Energy Outreach Colorado from which they donate to buy peoples medication, or do other good deeds with. Come in now, and please donate a bed or buy something. The Thrift Store/Budget Center is in downtown Craig on the side of the street.

— Kelton Villard, fifth grade

Donations for the Nation

My name is Juan. Today I visited the non-profit Community Budget Center. The Budget Center helps people with special needs. This started in 1980 by two women at their garage. Karen Brown is the manager and she started working there in 1998. They have a shed out back where they store Christmas trees instead of storing them upstairs. They put the clothes in a storage area. Now there are more than 5,000 things. In the storage area they have sport items, trophies, snowboard, skis, balls, and pet supplies. They also have kitchen supplies, cups, plates, spoons, forks and glasses.

There are seven employees and two volunteers. Some work 40 hours per week and others work thirty-two hours per week. An important job that employees do is sort items.

Once per year they get a donation from the United Way and Energy Outreach Colorado. This money is used for helping people with medicine or paying for electricity bills. One of the biggest donations was a car. Right now the Budget Center needs beds. The clothing and items they can’t sell are sent to Denver to a thrift store. Without donations the Budget Center would close. The Budget Center is an awesome non-profit store.

— Juan Loya, fifth grade

Bring on the Donations

On March 11, 2011 the Young Writers Program went to the Budget Center. Karen Brown was the person who walked us around and talked to us. When people don’t want or need anything anymore, they can give it to the Budget Center. When I looked around there was everything everywhere. In the back the employees sort everything. The Budget Center opened in 1980 by two women in their garage. In the back where nobody can see, there are clothes in bags filled to the top of the store.

People donate a lot of their time. At the Budget Center they are a non-profit, which means they only keep the money that they need to operate. They give money to charities and also to people that need the money. The people that say they need money have to sign a special form. You are allowed to give money donations to the Budget Center, also. Keep on bringing on the donations!

— Charisma Plantiko, fifth grade

RIDGEVIEW ELEMENTARY

Helping people in need

The Community Budget Center (CBC) started in 1980. Karen Brown has worked at the CBC for 13 years. The CBC takes donations from the public and sells the donations and uses the money help people in need. The CBC has a good use for their money and helps people in need.

— Olivia Profumo, first grade

Selling crazy things

The Community Budget Center helps people donate things that they don’t need. Community Budget Center stared in 1980. Karen Brown is the manager and has been for 13 years. The CBC collects things from people that give them as donations. They sell crazy things like gold teeth. I think the Community Budget Center is a really good store to have because it helps people that can’t afford things.

— Reece Weber, first grade

Good way to help people

The CBC takes donations from the public. The sell them and then they use the money to help people in need. CBC was started in 1980. Karen Brown has been the manager for 13 years. The dungeon is used for a storage place. I think the CBC is good for people with bills that they can’t pay.

— Connor Chalmers, first grade

Collecting community donations

The Community Budget Center collects donations from the community. The CBC was started in 1980. Karen Brown has been the manager for 13 years. The dungeon is used for storage. The CBC helps people.

— Arran Soule, first grade

Donate sports stuff, toys, clothes

The Community Budget Center started in 1980. Karen Brown is the manager. She has worked there for 13 years. There is no official owner. The CBC can’t take tires, knives, or food as donations. The Community Budget Center has tons of books. The CBC has sport stuff, toys, and lots of clothes. Don’t you think all of the people could donate? I do because it helps people in need.

— Tiana Nichols, second grade

The Community Budget Center

The Community Budget Center started in 1980. The dungeon room is used for storage. Karen Brown works at the Community Budget Center. Karen has worked at the CBC for 13 years. The most valuable think they got was a chess set. It is worth $3000. Can you imagine how many dollars that is? This is a good thing for our community because it helps people in need.

— Kelsey McDiffett, second grade

The Community Budget Center

Have you been to the Community Budget Center? They have clothes, toys, and dishes. They also collect summer and winter stuff. The Community Budget Center has some cool stuff. They also donate stuff to people who can’t afford dishes and clothes. They also sell books and toys. I think everybody should donate stuff because it helps a lot of people!

— Trayton Reed, second grade

Dungeon stores summer stuff

The CBC was started in 1980. Their manager is Karen Brown who has worked there for 13 years. She was hired in 1997. They get things like gold teeth, helmets, and skis. There is a huge dungeon. It has lots of bags of donated items! A lot of the summer stuff is stored there. The CBC is good because they help!

— Bowen Jensen, second grade

CBC a great program

The Community Budget Center collects donations. The money that they get can be given to some of the people that need it. Karen Brown has been working at CBC for 13 years. CBC was started in 1980. CBC gets lots of donations. They sell clothes, toys, and shoes. If The Community Budget Center can’t sell some stuff, they send it to Denver. This is a great program!

— Darbi Zimmerman, third grade

Brilliant idea

The Community Budget Center has been open since 1980, for 31 years. Karen Brown has been working there for 13 years. They sell seasonal decorations. CBC gets items donated that help with things like when people can’t afford prescriptions. CBC will not take food. They sell clothes, sporting goods, toys, furniture, and traveling things. CBC has seven employees. They are closed every Sunday. The busiest month is October. The Budget Center owns itself. I think The Community Budget Center was a brilliant idea!!

— Megan Olinger, third grade

CBC

Have you ever wanted to help someone? Well CBC, or Community Budget Center, has been helping the community. It is only closed on Sunday. If you buy something there, the money goes to other people that need it.

Two wonderful ladies started the business. People that have things leftover from garage sales or just want to give it away can give it to CBC. Karen Brown is the manager. She has worked there for thirteen years. The ladies started CBC in 1980, which was 31 years ago.

If items have been there too long, they will go to Denver. The CBC has a dungeon that keeps the donation that can’t fit in the store.

Most donations come in the summer. It has a sports room that is packed with helmets, trophies, gear, hockey sticks, and many other things that would be used in sports. The only weapons that they sell is knives. They will not take car seats, washer or dryer machines. They do not sell tires either. There are different rooms. There are lots of clothes there. They have holiday stuff in the holidays. The CBC is wonderful because they donate back a lot of things.

— Trey Lujan, fourth grade

Donate to raise money

Community budget Center started in 1980. They have been doing this for 31 years. The money they earn is used for helping people that need help. To get the money, people donate stuff, then they sell it to get money. The things they can’t receive are refrigerators, fireworks, and fire places.

Karen Brown has been manager for 13 years. They have a trailer where they put the stuff that hasn’t sold for two weeks, then Denver takes it to their budget center and tries to sell it there. They have a dungeon were they store clothes in bags and sports things in boxes. They even store their own Christmas tree in the dungeon.

Another thing to call The Community Budget Center is CBC. The most expensive thing donated was a chess set. They even got some in some gold teeth. They have a sports room. They have skis, helmets, trophies, footballs, soccer balls, baseballs, baseball mitts, bats, and football gear. They do sell pocket knives, but they have to be in a glass case to sell, but they don’t have to be in a glass box to give to the CBC to sell. CBC only has to jump their trash two times a week. All citizens should give CBC stuff instead of throwing it away because it helps people everywhere.

— Dylan Chalmers, fourth grade

Donations help people with bills

The Community Budget Center was started in 1980. They get donations then put them on shelves for other people to buy at low prices. Karen Brown has been the manager for 13 years helping the community. CBC has been opened for 31 years collecting from citizens to help other people that need it.

Community Budget Center has a dungeon that they put stuff in so it won’t get cluttered. Summer is the most busy season because lots of yard sales go on and citizens bring in their left over’s. They send a trailer to Denver three or four times a week for the stuff they can’t sell. With the money from sales, they buy food for people who need food and also help with heating bills. This community helps people from all around here.

— Gregory Hixson, fourth grade

Budget Center helps people

The Community Budget Center has been in operation for 31 years. They have moved from three places. CBC works with more thrift stores in Colorado.

If you can’t pay your bills, you can turn to CBC. First, you will have to fill out a form to get the money you need.

The CBC stores things in a place called a dungeon. They used to store it all in a very small shed, but they outgrew it.

To donate stuff, you go to the front or back doors. You may have to sign a form to give the donations.

They organize the stuff they get in the store. There are five sorting stations. If stuff doesn’t sell, they send it to Denver to recycle it.

They are open Monday through Saturday. Sunday is the only day they are closed. It opens at 10:00 a.m. and closes at 5:00 p.m.

I think The Community Budget Center is an important thing in Craig because it helps a bunch of people.

— Ebawnee Smercina, fourth grade

The Community Budget Center

Karen Brown works at the Community Budget Center. She’s been there for 13 years. Karen Brown loves to work at the Community Budget Center. The CBC was started in the 1980’s. It’s open Monday-Saturday and from 10:00 am-5:00 pm.

When people have yard sales, they give the leftovers to the CBC. They told us that after Christmas lots of people donate. They send some stuff to Denver to make room and they have a sports room. When people donate, they sell it and with some of the money, they help people with food, shelter, and clothes. They have all kinds of couches, picture frames, baby clothes, wooden toys, toys, board games, and they have an attic for storage! They also test some stuff to see if it works. If it doesn’t work, they just throw it out. Plus, they can’t sell dangerous things. A person donated real gold teeth and the CBC sold it for $50.

The busiest month for sales is October. They have a dungeon for storage and there’s a big pile of clothes that reaches the ceiling! Donate to the CBC! It’s a good thing for our community!

— Jessica Johnson, fifth grade

Community Budget Center

CBC (Community Budget Center) has been a part of Craig’s community for at least 31 years. The employees at CBC work from 10:00 till 5:00, Monday through Saturday, collecting various donations to sell to people who want to buy them. CBC collects everything imaginable from clothes, and toys to gold teeth, and valuable chess sets. Anyone who has anything they don’t want or need, can come down to CBC and donate whatever they want to give away. Even people who have Christmas trees can come down and donate them. All they have to do is come in the front or back door. The employees will help with the unloading if there is a ton of donations.

What happens with the money, you might ask? Well, here’s a good answer for you. Whatever the amount of money CBC collects, they give to the people of Craig’s community who need it. If you are one who needs money, come down and fill out an application about how much money you need and why you need it. CBC will always find a way to help you. So, in other words, CBC is a nonprofit organization.

The CBC works also with other thrift stores by sending donations. Karen Brown, the manager, thinks that October is the busiest month of the year for CBC. They get so much stuff that they have a dungeon to store most of it in. There is a mountain of clothes in the dungeon, literally. The mountain is so big that they have avalanches. So far, no one has been buried, yet. My opinion and also Karen Brown’s opinion is that working at CBC is a fun and helpful job. So, come on down and donate when you have a chance.

— Katie Haskins, fifth grade

Organization helps people in need

The Community Budget Center, or CBC, is an organization that helps people in need. It can assist citizens who are in need of financial help or transportation. At times, CBC has too many donations than they know what to do with. The employee’s take these overflow items and puts them in a room…A.K.A. The Dungeon!

Karen Brown has been working there for 13 of the 31 years that it has been in business. Personally, I think The Community Budget Center is a very helpful business.

— Aaron Hill, fifth grade

Take unwanted items to the Budget Center

The Community Budget Center lets Craig and other towns get rid of the items they don’t want any more. You can bring toys or games there, but all of the games have to work. The Budget Center gets a lot of donations during summer. They have a gigantic pile of clothes in the dungeon. If they have a donation that is stained or didn’t sell for a long time, it gets shipped to Denver. The Community Budget Center is a great store because if a person doesn’t want something, they will take it and sell it to somebody that needs it.

— Takoda Madsen, fifth grade

SANDROCK ELEMENTARY

CBC helps people

The CBC helps people. They help you with sports equipment. They help you get house stuff. CBC helps you get clothes. They are a charity.

— Shaylee Patterson, first grade

CBC sells donations

CBC sells toys. They put stuff that did not sell in the truck and it goes to Denver. They do not put stuff in the trashcan. They try to sell it.

— Kadin Hume, first grade

Karen Brown runs the non-profit

The community Craig has sports rooms. They have boots for charity. It is non-profit. They have helmets. Karen Brown, is the manager.

— Tucker Zimmerman, first grade

Dungeon holds boxes and bags

In the dungeon there are piles of boxes. There is a huge pile of bags in the dungeon. There is a trailer with stuff that does not sell.

— Emily Holloway, first grade

October CBC’s busiest month

The CBC is a non-profit organization. October is their busiest month. The dungeon is where they keep the stuff they get from people. They donate the money to people who need it. Winter gets less stuff than summer. The CBC started in 1980.

— Gabrielle Ellis, second grade

CBC gives people money

The CBC is a charity. The CBC has to have a trailer to recycle the stuff they don’t sell. The CBC’S customers bring lots of donations each month or year. They also have many things like clothes and books. CBC gives money to the people who really need it.

— Sabastian Hershiser, second grade

Changing people’s lives

The CBC runs charity to change other people’s lives. CBC has a room called the dungeon. They do not have a lot of baby clothes and beds. They help people by paying their bills and help with heat. CBC helps third world countries by giving them stuff that didn’t sell. They have a trailer that goes to Denver.

— Kimber Roberts, second grade

Needed: baby clothes and furniture

The community center is where people donate things. The CBC gives other people money so they could have a better life. The CBC has a pile of bags full of clothing. The storage room is called the dungeon. There is not very much clothing for babies in the store. There is not very much furniture there.

— Jessie Worster, second grade

Give money to the needy

The Community budget center is a non-profit organization. They have 7 employees and 2 volunteers. There is a huge pile of trash bags filled with clothes up to the ceiling. They put out the stuff by season. They give money to the needy.

— Heather Christensen, second grade

Employees collect donations

The Community Budget Center is a charity. Karen Brown is the manager and there are 7 total employees. The budget center sells clothes, and toys and other things. In the budget center there is an upstairs where they store summer, Easter, Halloween and Christmas decorations. People can bring in new things for babies and adults, too. The budget center has many glass things in it. Every year they donate money to people who cannot afford to pay for their prescriptions, or water and electricity.

— Arianna Senkevech, third grade

CBC going a long time

The Community Budget Center is a non-profit organization. The Community Budget Center has been going on for 31 years. Karen Brown, the manager, has been working there for 31 years. That’s a long time! The Community Budget Center first started by a few ladies then it turned into a store.

— Keaton Durbin, third grade

CBC is a big charity

Today I’m telling about CBC. The Community Budget Center is a shop. They help people in need. Also they help with clothes and shelter. The also have a trailer to go to Denver. CBC is a big charity. It helps us because it gives us stuff.

Nicole Floyd, third grade

Unwanted stuff goes to Denver

Today I went to the CBC. The Community Budget Center is a store that gets clothes and other stuff donated. The public goes to the store and shops. They have a trailer that goes to Denver. The CBC is a charity. The trailer gets the unwanted stuff from the store and then goes to Denver. When it is in Denver it tries to get sold. If it doesn’t get sold it will go into third world countries.

— Taelynn Southard, third grade

CBC helps charities

CBC is a store downtown that gets all their stuff from donations. Karen Brown is the CBC manager. All the extra money that she makes goes to charities. They don’t let people bring junk. There are seven employees and two volunteers. CBC has been going on since 1980.

— Kameron Baker, third grade

Dungeon holds a lot of stuff

Today we went to the Community Budget Center to see what they do. Their manager Karen Brown gave us a tour of their store. They have a giant storage room. It’s called the dungeon because there is so much stuff in there. Some stuff in the dungeon gets thrown away. So the dumpster gets dumped out every five days. There are seven employees and 2 volunteers. They help sort the stuff that they get every single day. The company was created in 1980. I like the Community Budget Center because they are a charity.

— Jesse Earle, fourth grade

Donating to people in need

The employees who work at the Community Budget Center help people in need. They sell clothes, radios, movies, and books. They don’t sell ripped furniture. They store Christmas trees in a shed. They have a trailer that comes from Denver. Karen, the manager, has been there for about 31 years. They get less loads in the winter and more loads in the summer. In the store they have about one million bags of summer clothes. The store has seven employees that work there. They have gotten vehicles from time to time. The Community Budget Center pays for prescriptions when you can’t. The Community Budget Center started in 1980. Last year in April the dungeon was empty. They sell baby clothes. When something is donated to the Community Budget Center they clean it up. The Community Budget Center donates money to people in need. The store has seven employees that work there. October is always the best month for the Community Budget Center.

— Michelle Singleton, fourth grade

CBC has seven employees

The CBC is a non-profit organization in Craig that has seven employees and two volunteers. Vicky is an employee that works hard and sorts. Karen Brown is the manager. The storage room is called the dungeon. The months where they sell the most stuff are October, November, and December. The money goes to charity and stuff they don’t sell gets recycled or goes to a third world country.

— Hunter Petree, fourth grade

CBC is a non-profit program

The Craig Community Budget Center is a non-profit program. The CBC has seven employees. In the back part of the store there is a sporting goods room that displays equipment according to the season. The storage room was empty last April but now it is full all the way up to the top so if you pulled the right bag it would fall like an avalanche. The months that CBC is the most busy are October, November, and December. All the extra money they have goes to charities.

— Kaylah Hampton, fourth grade

Real helping organization

The Community Budget Center is helping the community. There is a lot of stuff like clothes, books, and toys. They have seven people work there and two volunteers. They sort stuff by seasons. Their furniture supply is low. The store first opened in 1980. They help people with medications and bills. The Community Budget Center is a real helping organization.

— Jerzey Landa, fourth grade

Charity helping people in need

The CBC is a charity for people in need and others who want to donate for good causes. CBC is open on Monday through Saturday and closed on Sunday. CBC is open at 10:00 am to 5:00 pm every day. CBC’s manager is Karen Brown. She works with seven other employees. The storage room is also known as the dungeon. The dungeon has everything out of season and things that the employees have not gotten to yet. In the dungeon there are many bags of clothes and tons of boxes full of things that can break. CBC has a regular volunteer that is a 90 year old woman. Some people bring in truckloads of donations and things to get rid of. When something is out of season it gets put away until it is in season like Halloween stuff will not be put out right now because it is not yet Halloween. When there is someone in need CBC will help to pay for their electricity, heat, prescriptions, and get clothes for them. If CBC has clothes that don’t get sold within 3 months they will lower the price. Even then if it doesn’t get sold they will throw it in their trailer that has all the stuff that didn’t get sold. Eventually, all that stuff will go to Denver. The stuff in Denver will either get shredded and turned into something like a rug or another shirt and many other things, but if they are in ok shape they will give them to third world countries. Third world countries are places where people don’t have clothes or other things that we all have. Normally they give them stuff out of season or in season just whatever didn’t get sold. CBC is short on beds because no one has given one to them that they are giving away. They sometimes run out of men’s clothes or even baby clothes because a lot of people buy them. Some people donate old vehicles that they want to give away to a good charity. It depends on how good the car is because when it is in bad shape they will jut send it to the dump, but when it is in good shape they will sell it for $800 or in a range of at least a couple hundred. CBC is a charity that is open to the public. They also give people who need money or help some of the money they earned. CBC has been around since 1980 and I hope it never comes to an end.

— Gavyn Cox, fifth grade

Great place to go

CBC is a non-profit store. They store seasonally. CBC has five work stations. They have a room called a dungeon. Bags are filled with many clothes. They have backpacks and many, many, different toys. CBC has a trailer that goes to Denver full of unsold stuff. They have a sale each month on the second Saturday. CBC helps people with medical bills and utilities. October is the month that sells the most. They sell jewelry. Karen Brown is the manager of CBC. Some employees are Janace, Vicky, Shirley, and Alna. CBC helps people locally. CBC is a great place to go!

— Jordan Goodwin

October the busiest month

CBC is a non-profit store. They sell store items seasonally. CBC is a store that’s been working for over 31 years. They have 5 different workstations. They have a separate room called the dungeon for storage bags. The bags are filled with different clothes. CBC is also a charity that helps people with education and medical bills. When a person buys something after employees have been paid they send the extra money to charity or people in need. In each year CBC sells more stuff in October. Karen Brown is the manager of CBC. Janace, Shirley, Vicky, and Alna help organize the bags of clothes and other stuff. They have a storage house filled with Christmas trees. CBC is a great place to go to.

— Valerie Moreno, fifth grade

Donate to help others

The CBC is a charity that helps people in need. The store is open from 10:00-5:00 pm. Be sure to check for Halloween costumes and Christmas presents because October and December are the busiest seasons. Each year they try to clear out the clothes that are out of season. Last year they had their winter clothes cleared out in April. This year they will need more time. The storage area where they keep the clothes is called a dungeon. All the plastic bags that hold the clothes get recycled. With all the clothes all in plastic bags, piled up it looked more like a trash room. The clothes looked as high as Mt. Everest. Once out of the bag they need to be sorted. Men, women, children and baby are how they sort the clothes. They help charity in so many different ways. They pay the workers and pay bills but the rest of the money goes to charity. People decide to give more in the summer, rather than the winter. After garage sales people bring it to the CBC. In the winter nobody wants to have garage sales. This organization has been going for 31 years. Karen, the manager, has been working there for fifteen years. The shed they used to store clothes that are going to be shipped away is now used to hold Christmas trees that nobody bought last December. Now they have a trailer to carry the unwanted clothes to Denver. They don’t just ship things off to Denver for no reason. They have four colored tags and each month they switch the tags. If something has been there three months they send it to Denver. In Denver the clothes arrive at a business called ARC. ARC either shreds the clothes and turns them into rags to sell, or sends them to another country where they can’t afford or can’t get clothes to wear. They usually are lucky to get two or three pairs of clothes, but with the help of CBC everyone can have at least one good pair of clothes. With the stuff that nobody can reuse or buy they put in a big dumpster. So many things go in that dumpster a week that the trash truck has to come 5 days a week. If you have an old bed or a bed you can’t use anymore please think about donating, because CBC is helping people without beds and they are running out. Even a vehicle can be donated to be sold for 200-800 dollars. Please donate at least a little bit each year so everybody can have a good life. By donating you are helping many lives.

— Taylor Haddock, fifth grade

SUNSET ELEMENTARY

All About The Community Budget Center

The Community Budget Center helps our community in many different ways. One is if you don’t have enough money to buy things like prescriptions and clothes, they can help you. People in the Community Budget Center sell a lot of things like toys, wrapping paper, clothes, birthday bags, and some other things like that. The Community Budget Center is good for our community.

— Emily Howe, first grade

The Budget Center

Young Writers went to the Community Budget Center. The Budget Center has been going on for thirty-one years. The Budget Center is downtown in Craig. The Budget Center helps people get things they need. They have clothes, balls, books, and lots of other things. The Budget Center is open 10 am to 5 pm.

— Joseph Green, first grade

At the Budget Center

At the Community Budget Center, people donate stuff. They help people fill their needs. People take donations there. When the Budget Center receives donations, they sort and put price tags on them. It is downtown. The hours are Monday-Saturday 10am-5pm. Karen Brown started working there in 1997. She has been there for 13 years. She does not allow people to donate guns. She does allow people to donate knives. Most of their donations happen in October.

— Bayley Jacobson, first grade

The Budget Center

Some of the donations the Budget center gets come from yard sales. They get the stuff that is left over, and people take them over to the Community Budget Center in downtown Craig. At the Budget Center, they take the stuff to the back room to sort and put tags on them. Then they put them on the shelves.

— Trinity Boulger, first grade

Community Budget Center

Young Writers learned about the company called the Community Budget Center. My mom calls it the thrift store. The Budget Center helps people who don’t have everything they need. They are open Monday through Saturday 10am-5pm. There was a back room called the dungeon. The dungeon has a mountain that is made out of dozens and dozens of bags of donated items. They have a big truck on the side of the building. The truck takes the donations they have had for a long time to Denver.

— Ryan Peck, first grade

Community Budget Center

At the Community Budget Center, Karen Brown told us that the community donates useful stuff. They clean the stuff people donate. They price them with colored price tags. Every month they change the tags’ color. Then they sell donations Monday through Saturday. Right now they are selling Easter clothes and toys, and are also selling a little winter clothes and toys. In the back corner, the people donate clothes, toys, movies, and books. Almost every day they get donations. Donations come in faster than they can sell. When they have too many donations, they store them in the dungeon. Sometimes they have bag avalanches. In the back is the organizing room where they have skis and helmets they organize. They store Christmas trees in the shed outside. They have to work hard to sell all those donations.

— Brendan Beaver, second grade

The Community Budget Center

The Community Budget Center is a downtown Craig thrift shop. In the summer time, over one thousand donations come in. Karen Brown has been working at the Budget Center for thirteen years. If they cannot sell something, they send it to Denver to recycle. They have almost everything there. They are open from Monday to Saturday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. The Community Budget Center has been running for a long time, so let’s keep it running!

— Rachel Bolton, second grade

Community Budget Center

The Community Budget Center is a place where people donate things they don’t need. The people who work there, help people to fill their needs. They have mostly everything. The Community Budget Center is downtown. They stay open from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Saturday. After people donate things, they put them in the back room until the store needs them.

— Alexei Reyes, second grade

Community Budget Center

The Budget Center has been open for 31 years. It is open Monday through Saturday 10am-5pm, and is located downtown. It does not sell food! Once they got a gold tooth donated. They sell used toys, games, and decorations. They have lots of clothes. People donate all of the items that the Budget Center sells. The money they make goes to people who don’t have money and who need help.

— Logan Malley, second grade

Community Budget Center

The Community Budget Center is a store. It takes donations and sells them. It started in 1980. It helps out people who need certain things. Karen Brown, a worker there, has been there for 13 years. It is downtown in Craig. It is open from Monday to Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm. The store has a dungeon room where donations are kept. They have a mountain of clothes! They do not sell food, and they don’t take things such as computers, tires, refrigerators, and so on and so forth. Once they even got golden teeth donated! The Community Budget Center is very good because people can give things to it, and the things are bought and used again instead of being thrown away.

— Jason Snow, third grade

Community Budget Center

Craig Budget Center is a wonderful place. They carry many things too. They have clothes, toys, ironing boards, party decorations, and glass decorations. All the money they earn goes to people in need. The Budget Center is a great place to buy things too. Karen Brown, the manager, started working there in 1997, but the Budget Center actually started in 1980. They get a lot of things donated. Their busiest month is October, with Halloween. After a while, the winter stuff will be put away, and the summer stuff will get put out. They get more donations in the summer than they do in the winter. There is a storage room that they keep all their bags of donations in. It is called “the dungeon.” They go through at least 2-3 bags a day. Once they price them, they then hang the items so they can be bought. The Budget Center is open Monday through Saturday, 10am to 5pm. The Budget Center is a great place, and they help so many people.

— Madysen Cramer, fourth grade

Community Budget Center

The Budget Center has been in Craig since 1980. Karen Brown is the manager. “No one officially owns the Budget Center,” says Brown. Karen has been there for 13 years. They take many donations. The Budget Center has a “dungeon.” The dungeon is where they sort things and tag them. They receive lots of donations. They have things from books to toys for sale. “We once got gold teeth. We have also had a chess set that was worth $3,000. But, we don’t see food,” said Karen Brown.

The Budget Center is open Monday-Saturday, 10am-5pm. Denver ARC stores send a truck about every three weeks to pick up stuff that they didn’t sell, to recycle a lot of it. The Budget Center has many volunteers. “One of our volunteers is 90 years old, and she is very nice,” said Brown, smiling. They get lots of donations after Christmas too. They fill many people’s needs.

— Bailey Lawton, fourth grade

Community Budget Center

At the Community Budget Center, Karen Brown told us they help people that don’t have enough money. They are open Monday through Saturday from 10am to 5pm. It is located downtown in Craig. They help people fill their needs. They take donations to the back room to sort and put price tags on them. They change the color of the tags every month. The back room is called the dungeon. They became a business in 1980. Karen Brown has been working there for 13 years. They have seven employees. One volunteer is over 90 years of age. They can’t sell all the items. The donations they can’t sell, they send to Denver. They have ski boots, skis, ski helmets, ski poles, books, baseballs, footballs, backpacks, and suitcases. They try keeping everything organized. They help the community.

— Colby Beaver, fourth grade

The Community Budget Center

The Community Budget Center (C.B.C.) is where you donate items you don’t need. The C.B.C. started in 1980. It has been going on for thirty-one years. Karen Brown is the manager. She has been working there for 13 years. She started in 1997.

C.B.C. is closed on Sunday. C.B.C. is open Monday-Saturday from 10A.M.-5 P.M. They use the money they gain to help the people in the community.

If the clothes they get have stains or holes, they send the clothes to Denver to be recycled. If C.B.C. gets too many donations, they give them to the other thrift stores that are low on donations. October is the busiest month because of Halloween.

Not all things are taken because they don’t have enough time to see if the electronics work. Some things that they don’t take are food, guns, bullets, refrigerators, tires, and child car seats (unless they are new and have instruction manuals). They will take t.v.s and microwaves.

There is a dungeon, or back room. That’s where they store and sort the donations. There is a different colored tag for each month. They used to store all of their donations in a small shed, but they grew out of that fast. Now that is where they store the Christmas trees. The C.B.C. helps fill lots of people’s needs.

— Laura Bolton, fifth grade

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