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Berlin, Ocean Pines News Worcester County Bayside Gazette Logo Berlin, Ocean Pines News Worcester County Bayside Gazette

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Inca to aid Church Mouse outreach

(Nov. 17, 2016) The reason for the season, according to the owners of Inca Ruins in Berlin, is giving.
Since opening about two years ago, owners Ken Briggs and Cesar Raygada have made it a point to give back, focusing especially on the Church Mouse Thrift Shop, which, in turn, provides help to dozens of needy families and nonprofit groups.
“We’ve given over $1,000, probably $1,500 in retail to them already,” Briggs said. “It seems like an organization that’s just going to help the people who need it.”
On Nov. 25 and 26, Inca Ruins will hold a “Reason for the Season Holiday Fundraiser,” asking shoppers to bring a canned food item to the Church Mouse on 101 North Main Street, or Inca Ruins on 12 Pitts Street.
The first 100 people who donate will receive a raffle ticket for a $100 Inca Ruins gift certificate. Ten percent of all proceeds during that time will also go to the Church Mouse, and Briggs promised additional giveaways for “some fun stuff” would be available at his shop.
He also plans to donate more new clothing to the Church Mouse following the fundraiser.
A drawing for the gift certificate will be held on Monday, Nov. 28, and the winner will be notified.
Helen Wiley, who runs the Church Mouse, said Briggs approached her about the campaign and she suggested they collaborate to collect canned goods.
“They’ve been very generous, sending me brand-new products throughout the last two years, from kid’s clothes to adult jackets,” Wiley said. “This year they wanted to really push giving back through what the Church Mouse does with the food pantry.”
Church Mouse is especially active around the holiday season, and supports Worcester County GOLD, the Believe In Tomorrow Children’s House By the Sea and the Spirit Kitchen, among others. The store also sponsors two families during the Christmas holiday.
“The thing about Berlin and this community is that people pay attention,” Wiley said. “They see what’s going. They want to be supportive to it and they want to give back. It shows how there’s love, and love in the community can make the people feel good.
“People who are down in their luck and in troubled times know the community cares, and Inca Ruins is turning around and showing that they care, like so many other merchants in Berlin do,” she added.
Last Valentine’s Day, Inca Ruins opened a shop in in the Village by the Sea shopping center in Rehoboth. Briggs said he planned to do additional outreach through the new shop, similar to the Church Mouse campaign, and potentially benefiting the CAMP Rehoboth Community Center.
Both stores have already donated time and money to Maryland Public Radio this year.
“That’s a big part of our business – to be able to give back every year,” Briggs said. “With two stores, we’re able to do a little bit better.”
For more information, or to donate to the Church Mouse, call 410-641-4385, email helenbuttercup@verizon.net or visit www.churchmousethriftshop.com.