Letters explaining the fund drive will be sent to area residents in the city of Paynesville and Paynesville Township.
According to organizers, the charity fund offers area residents the opportunity to donate to one fund, then the donation is divided among many.
According to the letter to prospective donors, the advantages of giving through the Paynesville Area Charity Fund is its simplicity: one gift instead of many; gifts go to the charities of your choice; the PACF eliminates the need for multiple fund drives and saves expenses; and reduces follow-up solicitations by charities.
The only expenses of the PACF are printing and mailing. All money beyond these expenses goes to designated charities.
The committee has set a goal of $30,000 for this year's drive. All donations are tax deductible. The PACF is registered as a nonprofit corporation with the Secretary of State and has been approved by the Internal Revenue Service to receive tax exempt gifts.
Cancelled checks or money orders will serve as receipts for tax purposes. Receipts will be mailed for all donations over $250. Employees are urged to ask their employers about payroll deduction or contact one of the members of the PACF board of directors for information about starting a payroll deduction program.
Serving on the board of directors are: John Atwood, Willie Butkofski, Phyllis Gardner, Jeanne Heineman, Fay Jones, Don and Helen Lehman, Bev Mueller, Joe Spaulding, Judy Stanley, Leanne Tangen, Don Torbenson, and Jan Zumwalde.
Charities on the Paynesville Area Charity Fund list are: Paynesville Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, Paynesville Community Service Center, Crow River Trail Guards, Friends of the Paynesville Area Library, Paynesville Area Home Delivered Meals, Paynesville Area Center, Paynesville Area Dollars for Scholars, Paynesville Area Health Care System Auxiliary, Paynesville Area Special Olympics, Paynesville Historical Society, Paynesville Youth Athletic Association, Alzheimer's Association, Minnesota Division of the American Cancer Society, American Diabetes Association, American Lung Association, Minnesota Affiliate of the American Heart Association, American Red Cross, Minnesota Chapter of the Arthritis Foundation, Central Minnesota Task Force on Battered Women, Courage Center, Epilepsy Foundation of Minnesota, Minnesota Chapter of the Leukemia Society of America, Minnesota North Star Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and Salvation Army.
Area residents are asked to look over the list of organizations and indicate those to which they wish to contribute. Then place the donation in the self-addressed envelope and return it by Dec. 31 to the Paynesville Area Charity Fund.