TUBAC, Ariz. - The holiday season may be wrapping up, but the giving spirit isn't far gone from a Latin American folk art store in Tubac.
From time to time, the owners of La Paloma de Tubac pick a day to donate all proceeds to local charity. New Year's Eve was one of those days.
Bill Green, co-owner of La Paloma de Tubac, dubbed Dec. 31 "You Spend it, We Send It." This year, Green chose theKino Border Initiative to donate the day's proceeds.
"We've had a good year in the business and the situation on the border is getting worse and worse, in my opinion," Green said. "And here we are, 15 miles away."
Over the past 35 years, Green and his wife have held about a dozen "You Spend It, We Send It" days, donating to United Nations, Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona, and Doctors Without Borders.
There's not a lot of planning involved, Green says. The signs go up and customers know right away, their purchases are going directly to that organization.
Customer Carol Gunneman calls the impromptu days a nice surprise.
"I needed a new rug for quite a while, and so I thought, maybe this is the day to buy it," Gunneman said.
The idea behind it is simple, Green says.
"You can't give money to every beggar you see, you can't help out every dire situation, but you can take money and you can do something concrete with it," Green said. "That helps out a certain group of people."
Green said $2250 was raised for the Kino Border Initiative.
