Editor:

We have a treasure here in Humboldt County — the Mateel Community Center. For many years the Mateel has been giving us love by putting on concerts, dances and festivals ("Now Entering Babylon," posted online Aug. 7). We have been able to attend theater and dance performances done by children, youth and adults; attend art shows, comedy and community forums. The Mateel provides space for parties, memorials, meetings, fundraisers and more. The hall itself is the best concert venue I have ever been in. 

Now it's our turn to give the Mateel some love back. The organization has hundreds of thousands of dollars of unpaid bills, even after paying off some debt, and is operating on a mini shoestring. I've read in the Independent that they are working on applying for a loan. That would be a good thing. But let's remember that a loan means paying interest over many years, which adds up to a lot of extra money.

Now is the ideal time for us to make donations. The more we give now, the less they will have to borrow and pay interest on. So we get more bang for our buck. Let's pitch in and help the Mateel survive and thrive!

Donations can be mailed to Mateel Community Center, PO Box 1910, Redway, CA 95560. To use a card, please call the office between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. Donations can also be made to Mateel's account at the Community Credit Union in Garberville, where it has both a general account and an Adopt-A-Debt account. 

Here's to many more years of great shows!

Emily Whitney, Whitethorn