June 28 - Governor’s Mansion Saved by Reusable Bags
On 1526 H Street in Sacramento sits a stunning Victorian mansion once home to Ronald Reagan, Earl Warren, and Pat Brown.
This is Sacramento's Governor's Mansion, now a museum where California residents and visitors can take in a taste of Golden State history. For the past year the structure has been under the threat of closing due to state budget cuts, but then salvation arrived in the form of a two handled reusable grocery bag.
Raley’s, a grocery chain, has donated $75,000 towards the continual operation of the Governor’s Mansion with money from their "NickelAid" program. The system encourages customers to conserve plastic and paper by bringing in reusable bags instead of using new bags in Raley stores; for each bag brought in the chain donated 5 cents to state parks. Over the course of a year, Raley's customers saved 1.5 million new single-use bags from being distributed under the program.
With the $75,000 donated by Raley's and an additional $25,000 donation from the Church of Scientology, the museum can continue operating five days a week until the end of the fiscal year. The "NickelAid" program was welcomed with open arms by residents of the city says Jennifer Teel-Wolter, community relations manager of the at the West Sacramento Raley's,
Their response was overwhelming, and it is clear our state's parks hold a special place in all our hearts.
Read the full article in the Sacramento Bee here.