Citizens irked as Walmart removes Giving Tree

To the Editor:

I am writing this as a concerned citizen of Putnam County. For as long as I can remember, the Greencastle Walmart has been a place that has supported local initiatives to help those in need within our community. For some reason, this seems to have recently changed.

We have a local committee which organizes a program called "Putnam County Giving Tree." The purpose of this program is to allow individuals, families, businesses or other groups to purchase gifts for children in need. These gifts will be given to the parents of the children before Christmas. This program ensures all children will have gifts to open up on Christmas morning.

This year, the Giving Tree received requests to help over 1,000 local children. Parents fill out tags with specific items listed that their children could use. The tags are then put on Christmas trees in the front of local stores. As shoppers come in to the store, they can retrieve a tag, purchase the items for the child, and then take the tag and items to a service desk where the items are kept until a committee member picks them up.

The public can usually find these trees with tags at our Greencastle Kroger, Goody's, and Walmart.

Greencastle Walmart received a new store manager approximately three months ago. This new manager has decided Walmart in Greencastle will not participate in the Giving Tree. The manager forced employees to take down the tree and asked the tags be removed.

When questioned as to why, the manager told someone on the committee there is a new corporate policy which stipulates local stores cannot support any local initiatives. The only philanthropic activities local stores can participate in are those which are endorsed by the corporation and done corporation-wide. This year they are supporting the Salvation Army and the Fill A Truck campaign.

What we like about the Giving Tree is that 100 percent of the proceeds from the tags go to our local community. While we may receive a percentage from the Salvation Army and the Fill-a-Truck, it is not near enough to meet our local need.

It is my understanding that the committee members have contacted the District Manager and were told they would uphold the decision of the store manager.

What angers me most is that Walmart in Greencastle is the only major outlet in our community for us to purchase items from to fill the tags. This store will still make more than $30,000 from the tags even though they refuse to allow the tree and tags to be put up in their store.

All we want is for people to be able to pick up the tags from Wal-Mart as they have been able to do for over a decade. We want our local children to have a good Christmas.

Thank you,

Kate Skirvin
Concerned Putnam County citizen