LAS VEGAS — A nonprofit helping students and others in need across the valley was hit hard after the pandemic caused businesses to shutdown for months.
Weeks after reopening, it is now slowly getting back on its feet. In this edition of We’re Open, 13 Action News Anchor Nina Porciuncula tells you, you can help ensure the nonprofit’s outreach programs continue.
ABOUT DINOSAURS & ROSES
Inside this thrift store every nook and cranny is cleaned each morning. Every piece of clothing, every item handled with care.
Sitting on Charleston near Decatur, Dinosaurs and Roses -- a nonprofit thrift store -- thrives by selling donated items. Michelle Morgan is the executive director.
"The proceeds from the sale to benefit our outreach program, which is a fantastic program that we have on Mondays and Tuesdays. We open our doors to those in need and by referral through Nevada 211 or help of southern Nevada the Rape Crisis Center of Las Vegas and so many other of our agencies they send us referrals. We open our doors and the people come and shop for free with dignity for whatever it is that they're needing of basic necessities."
Dinosaurs and Roses is a registered scholarship grant organization collecting modified business taxes from Las Vegas businesses and putting it to good use.
"(We) ... send children who are living within the poverty level to private schools, children that never dreamed in a million years that they'd end up in private schools," says Morgan.
It’s been their nonstop mission for 12 years until the coronavirus pandemic forced Dinosaurs and Roses to shut its doors for 3 months.
REOPENING DURING THE PANDEMIC
After finally reopening its doors mid-May, Morgan says they were overwhelmed by the support from the community: an influx of donations plus an extra set of helping hands from volunteers like Mark Thompson.
"I worked in the casino industry for around 20 years and obviously a lot of that got shut down including the hotel I was working at so until they get the process completed of calling us back I figured I could at least do something to help out and do not sit on my couch 24/7."
Mark and other volunteers provide the manpower needed to meet the sanitation requirements for a safe reopening.
"It makes you feel good that you're part of that helping, that you actually helping out with things instead of sitting on the sidelines."
They sanitize the store several times throughout the day between each customer at the register. Aside from that, Morgan says, "One of the biggest things is all of our donations are quarantined. So we quarantine all of our donations we have an area when you come into the store we don't touch them for two weeks a minimum."
If you want to shop at dinosaurs and roses, there’s a sign outside the door reminding you to keep your mask on and to practice social distancing.
But the biggest challenge for the nonprofit so far, is whether they’d still be able to help as many students this year.
"So many businesses that were paying modified business tax and donating to us have had to cut their tax contributions because they were closed like the casinos and larger corporation so we feel that this upcoming year our school a scholarship program may suffer because of that," says Morgan.
But Morgan says you can still help by donating items, shopping at the store or volunteering. "We really appreciate those people that are volunteering and helping our store and helping our mission."
"We’re all in this together. We just all need to help each other out," Thompson adds.
CONTACT DINOSAURS & ROSES:
HQ: (702) 277-3752
Thrift Store: (702) 822-6240
Scholarship: (702) 736-7787
info@dinosaursandroses.org
Corporate HQ: 6655 W. Sahara Ave. (#D106), Las Vegas, NV 89146
Thrift Store: 5220 W. Charleston Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89146
