PAGE A12, KEIZERTIMES, SEPTEMBER 10, 2021
LIFE
Comic books and concerts help feed community
Tony's Kingdom of Comics and Collectibles offers an array of free comics in return for a food donation.
“Uptown always makes sure to run
events and other things during the hol-
idays and times that we especially need
it,” said Jim Johnson, director of the
Keizer Community Food Bank. “It gives
us a fl ow of money that we can almost
count on.”
Cash donations allow the Keizer food
bank to purchase hygiene products and
other items that people may need but
aren’t donated as often.
Grove gives away free comics for any
food donations at the comic shop, which
provides a consistent fl ow of food for the
food bank, according to Johnson.
From the very fi rst day Tony’s
Kingdom of Comics opened their doors
15 years ago, there’s been a food barrel
accepting donations by the front door.
Grove said his grandma, who raised him,
always emphasized the importance of
sudoku
helping your community.
“No matter how good things were,
she always gave back. Toys throughout
the year to the children's hospital or to
underprivileged kids. Always donating
time to food banks,” Grove said. “So when
I opened the shop, I just thought, ‘This is
a way I can give back.’”
Grove has been in Keizer since 1983
and said this was another way to say
thank you after all the community has
done for him and his daughters over the
years.
Grove’s most recent fundraiser pulled
in 336 lbs of food and $128 in cash dona-
tions. Another $1,075 was raised in an
auction for the Shriners Hospital for
Children in Portland. Grove does auc-
tions throughout the year for various
causes and the auction items come at his
own cost.
“I think if everybody helped out a lit-
tle bit, the world would be a better place.
Like I said, it’s important. This town has
been good to me,” Grove said. “It sure
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STORY
Saluting the people that make
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By JOEY CAPPELLETTI
For the Keizertimes
Tony Grove and Paul Elliott probably
aren’t maximizing profi ts.
Grove, the owner of Tony’s Kingdom
of Comics and Collectibles, gives away
free comic books.
Elliott, the owner of Uptown Music,
gives out free $10 gift cards and puts on
free concerts.
While Grove and Elliott may not
directly benefi t from these free off erings,
hundreds of families throughout the
Keizer area have.
For more than a decade, Grove’s and
Elliott’s shops have fundraised thousands
of dollars worth of food and cash dona-
tions for the Keizer Community Food
Bank. These free giveaways act as a way
to incentivize customers.
“We believe nobody should go hun-
gry. So it seemed pretty straightforward
to us that when we held events and con-
certs and things like that, while some
people would charge actual money for a
ticket, we would always ask for a canned
food donation,” said Elliott, who’s owned
Uptown Music with his wife for seven
years.
Elliott, who was the manager before
owner, has been at Uptown Music for 23
years in total. He said the shop has put on
fundraisers and given to food banks the
entirety of the time he’s been there.
“Everybody that works here at some
point or another has been in a tight spot
before. And through the kindness of oth-
ers was able to kind of make it through
some rough times,” Elliott said.
While many give without incentive,
the shop puts on special fundraisers
during times of the year that the food
bank especially needs donations. Elliott
will often take a percentage out of every
purchase during the holidays to give to
the Keizer food bank.
Photo by JOEY CAPPELLETTI of Keizertimes
Enter digits 1-9 into blank spaces. Every row must contain
one of each digit. So must every column, & every 3x3 square.
maze by Jonathan Graf of Keizer