VAIL VALLEY, Colorado — For the nonprofits in Colorado's Vail Valley that help locals in need, be it with food, clothing, education or something else, there's a nonprofit that is there to help them as well.

Vail Valley Cares has been around since 1993 and gives hundreds of thousands of dollars to local charities every year. The Christian organization runs the Edwards Thrifty Shoppes in Edwards and Eagle, selling donated items to the community for bargain prices.

Other than a few small donations from some church services throughout the year, the thrift shops are the organization's only source of income.

Vail Valley Cares is getting ready for its annual luncheon, Aug. 26, when it will give out more than $211,000 to 32 local nonprofit organizations. Grants range from $2,000 to $30,000 and are mostly for organizations that provide some kind of direct aid to locals, said Greg Osteen, executive director of Vail Valley Cares.

“We try to stick with (giving to) most organizations that do basic needs like food, clothing and that type of help,” Osteen said. “We oftentimes work with smaller organizations that help the most people locally.”

Vail Valley Cares gives to many of the well-known nonprofits in the valley — the Salvation Army, Bright Future Foundation, Eagle River Youth Coalition, the Youth Foundation, Vail Valley Charitable Fund and more — but there are so many smaller groups the organization proudly supports, Osteen said.

Vail Valley Cares supports The Learning Camp, a local academic summer camp for children with learning disabilities, year after year and the camp's director Ann Cathcart couldn't be more appreciative.

“They're one of the most generous organizations in the valley,” she said. “They've done so much with those thrifty shops.”

The money The Learning Camp gets through The Learning Foundation, the Camp's nonprofit foundation, goes toward scholarships for local campers. All of the children come from the valley, something that makes the camp stand out to Vail Valley Cares board members as they decide which organizations they should award grants.

“We (give to) a lot of small, underdog types of organizations because that's what we are — we feel a kinship with them,” Osteen said.

Money the organization gives away comes in directly from the community, which is why Vail Valley Cares wants to make sure it does the right thing with that money.

“The community puts trust in us by donating stuff to us and we take that pretty seriously,” he said.

While donations to the Thrifty Shoppes were down this year, Osteen said there seemed to be more shoppers looking for deals. The decrease in donations means there's less to sell, and less to give away — something Osteen hopes will turn around soon. Last year Vail Valley Cares gave away about $80,000 more than it's giving this year.

Local nonprofits aren't complaining, though. Many groups are feeling the sting from the economy, and while Vail Valley Cares might be giving away a little bit less this year, the organization's generosity comes at a time when people are more appreciative than ever.

“We are so grateful,” Cathcart said.

Lauren Glendenning can be reached at 970-748-2983 or lglendenning@vaildaily.com