Tomorrow is Giving Tuesday, where people can give funds to nonprofit organizations worldwide. The Route 66 Co-op that owns and maintains the Painted Desert Trading Post in northeast Arizona is among those.
Mike Ward, one of the co-op’s members, made the appeal on Facebook to give money to the organization even though the final stage of the building’s renovations were finished in September:
Although the rescue of the building has been completed the work isn’t over. Maintenance of the building must go on to include removal of weeds and grass from around the building and replacement of the American flag that flies over the grounds. Additionally, the Co-op must maintain an insurance policy for the safety of visitors and the property itself and taxes must be paid annually as well. The security of the trading post is also a concern and the Co-op members are investigating ways to help secure the property. Followers of this project have been incredibly generous with their donations and purchase of commemorative t-shirts, pins, magnets and stickers.
November 30, 2021 has been designated as “Giving Tuesday”, a day where people can donate to non-profit organizations worldwide, and the Route 66 Co-op has been included in that group of organizations. Check it out at https://www.givingtuesday.org/. If any of my friends reading this would like to help, even a little, it will be greatly appreciated. All donations will go toward the ongoing maintenance of the Painted Desert Trading Post, assuring that future visitors will be able to stand on the edge of old Route 66 and enjoy what some like to call “The Holy Grail of Route 66”. Thank you.
As of Sunday night, more than $140 had been raised.
One can make a donation through Facebook here. One also can donate via PayPal through the Painted Desert Trading Post’s website.
A commenter on the Facebook thread also suggested the Route 66 Co-op raise funds through the Amazon Smile program. All Amazon shoppers have to do is go to Smile.Amazon.com and designate Route 66 Co-op as the recipient. Amazon then donates a percentage of what customers order.
Dotch Windsor and his first wife, Alberta, opened the Painted Desert Trading Post along Route 66 during the early 1940s. Even along the Mother Road, it was a remote outpost with no electricity or telephone service. Only gravity pumps dispensed fuel.
It closed by the late 1950s after being bypassed by a new alignment of Route 66. The Painted Desert Trading Post, located several miles from Interstate 40, remains inaccessible except for a locked gate. Those who wish to visit the trading post via Pinta Road can use these new instructions to unlock the road’s main gate.
(Image of the renovated Painted Desert Trading Post by Mike Ward via Facebook)