I can't believe it's been two months since my last column. Guess the stress of getting ready for graduation took its toll on me, and I've been recuperating ever since. But I've finally caught up on my sleep and gotten my house back into some semblance of order, so there are no more excuses for not getting this column written.

I haven't been totally slacking off these past couple of months, however. With graduation out of the way and a wedding coming up shortly, I decided that now was the time to declutter and make space for the wedding favors and floral arrangements that will need to be stored at our house. So for the last several weeks my spare moments have been spent rooting through closets, drawers, and boxes (mostly Phil's) and finding "treasures" (again, mostly Phil's) that we can do without to help free up space around here.

Thank goodness for the Helping Hand and Bargain Bazaar thrift stores in McCook. They have willingly taken our cast-offs and are trying to find new owners for them. I thought maybe it would be a good idea to do a little investigating as to how these stores operate and what happens to the money they raise with their efforts. I think you'll be as pleasantly surprised as I was when you learn what a fantastic service these two shops do for our community and who benefits from their profits.

The Helping Hand is the older of our two thrift stores and has been run by the United Methodist Women from Memorial United Methodist Church for over forty years. It is located in the basement of the Merit Building on the corner of Norris and C Street. The other charity store is the Bargain Bazaar, which has been located at 222 W. First Street for the past ten years. It is staffed by the Altar Society of St. Patrick's Catholic Church. Both stores are open for business from 1 to 4 every afternoon, Monday through Saturday.

Walk into these places and you will be amazed at the wide array of merchandise that greets you. There are racks upon racks of clothing for infants, children, men, and women. Linens, blankets, dishes, house wares, knick-knacks, and collectibles compete for room on the stores' shelves. There are puzzles, books, games, and toys waiting to be taken home and enjoyed.

There are definitely some "unique" items that have been donated to these stores. In fact some of them are so downright risqué that I can't mention them in this column. Patty Bennett from the Helping Hand tells me that several sets of false teeth have been given to the store, but they are always disposed of and not put on the shelves for sale. Thank goodness!!!

Bottles of booze have also been given to the Helping Hand and I've been assured that the volunteers don't drink them but pour the contents down the drain.

The Bargain Ba-zaar has been the lucky recipient of some unusual items, including a cattle prod. I'm wondering if they gave it to their school for use on some misbehaving students! Rosanne Olson, who heads up Bargain Bazaar, tells me they have a mystery item that was given to them years ago and they are hoping someone might stop by and identify it. The best guess they have so far is that it was made in the 1920s and held cigarettes and matches as part of a set from a train or hotel.

The concept behind the Bargain Bazaar and Helping Hand is a wonderful one. People who have items in their homes that they no longer need can take them down to one of these stores. Volunteers there will take your items, clean and mend them if necessary, and put them out for sale at very low prices. People who need clothing or household items at a reasonable price can go down there and purchase them. All the money raised by these stores after expenses goes to charity.

The profit from sales at the Bargain Bazaar goes to help with projects at St. Patrick's Catholic Church, school, and rectory. The Altar Society also makes donations to the ABC Pregnancy Center, McCook Right to Life, and Catholic Social Services Agency with the proceeds of Bargain Bazaar.

Likewise, all of the money made at the Helping Hand is given out to mission projects. For their local church, they have paid scholarships for church camps and the Big Bird Preschool. Money has also been given on a regular basis to the Pantry, CASA and Domestic Abuse Shelter here in McCook. Outside of McCook, donations from Helping Hand have gone to several organizations, including Mothers With Babies in York, Neb.

This program provides for women inmates at the prison in York who have young children. It has a place for the mothers to spend time with their young children and also gives Christmas and birthday presents to these children from their mothers.

Helping Hand and Bargain Bazaar are also very generous in donating merchandise from their stores. Both organizations will provide free clothing and house wares to people who are in need. If a church or Social Services calls these stores, they will allow the individuals or families to come in and get whatever they need free of charge. Both groups donate their excess merchandise to the Salvation Army in Kearney and Goodwill Industries in North Platte so they can use them for their charitable work.

The Bargain Bazaar allows a couple from their church to come in several times a year and pick out merchandise, free of charge, that they then deliver to the residents of the Veterans' Home in Grand Island. There is a woman from Danbury who comes to the Helping Hand to get children's shorts, sandals, and shirts free of charge, which she then sends to a mission in Haiti.

Both the Helping Hand and Bargain Bazaar are blessed with a loyal crew of volunteers who keep the stores up and running. Two volunteers staff each store during business hours and there are several women who meet each Monday morning to sort through donated merchandise and get it ready to place on the shelves.

What a wonderful service these two organizations provide to our community. Instead of throwing out our unused or unwanted items, we can give them to a group who will find someone else that can benefit from them. Conversely, we ourselves can go to these places and buy items at a fraction of their cost, thus saving ourselves money. And the money made by this process all goes to worthy charities. A win-win situation, anyway you look at it.

Besides, where else would high school students go to buy unusual outfits to wear to school during Spirit Week? You can't just go to any clothing store and buy bell bottoms and polyester leisure suits. And how would SWNCTA be able to put on many of their productions without the wonderful costumes they find at these stores?

So do me a favor and consider donating your used items to the Bargain Bazaar and Helping Hand if you haven't done so before. It sure beats hauling them to the landfill. Take some time to meander through these stores and see what treasures are waiting there for you to discover. And if you have a few hours to spare some afternoon, I know they'd love to have you sign up and work a shift.

Now that I'm done with this article, I'm off to the basement to find more of Phil's stuff to get rid of. Excuse me, I mean to donate to a worthy cause. Surely there's someone who would like a ripped leather recliner or a 35-year-old pair of Chuck Taylor tennis shoes.

Too bad there's no one in the market for 30 video tapes that contain the last 15 years worth of Husker games and coaches' shows on them. According to Phil they're priceless, but I'd be tempted to let them go for a song. Go Big Red!