Too much of a good thing; that's what Stevens County is dealing with: a surplus of donations left over from this historic wildfire season.
When the fires swept through Stevens County, the community came out in a big way by donating to the firefighters and families affected by fire. But now there are too many donations left over, and volunteers at the Stevens County Fairgrounds are left to figure out what to do with a warehouse filled with piles of clothes, toiletries and other items.
"[This is] the result of a month's worth of sorting of donations and giving things out to fire victims, the evacuees, the firefighters," said Nancy Foll, who was asked by Stevens County Emergency Management to be the Volunteer Disaster Relief Coordinator. She is also a Colville City Council member.
But now, toward the end of fire season, Foll and other volunteers need to liquidate. Their plan is to have a yard sale.
"We'll put that money into the fund that was created to help disaster victims," Foll explained.
But not everyone is happy with the way these donations are being handled.
"Having a fund could be a good idea, but we have questions about who manages it and how," Colville resident Michael Pickett said.
Pickett explained he doesn't think local government needed to get involved in the donations in the first place, and he is worried about where that money will go once the items are sold.
"It's a lack of transparency we have a problem with," he said.
Foll said she and other volunteers have been as organized and transparent as possible.