By Special to the Town Crier

Nature Gallery, Fifty Plus Media, Treasures Hospice Store and Los Altos Hills artist Carole Brown are coming together for an event Friday and Saturday that will support a community service while supporting the local economy.

Charitable donation dollars are dwindling as Americans are tightening their purse strings. Admirably, many people nationwide and locally have decided to send their budgeted charitable dollars to the relief effort in New York City and Washington, D.C. But many local non-profits fear they will not have the funding they need to provide services.

Carol Garsten, owner of Nature Gallery at Town & Country Village in Palo Alto, will contribute 10 percent of all sales during jewelry artist Brown’s trunk show Friday and Saturday to the Treasures Hospice Store in Menlo Park.

In addition, Brown will donate items to be auctioned off at the evening reception on Friday. Fifty Plus Media is coordinating the effort between Treasures Hospice Store and Nature Gallery, in addition to inviting its members to the event.

Garsten selected the Treasures Hospice Store as the beneficiary of this event for personal reasons. Her mother, Norma Tager, who died of breast cancer five-and-a-half years ago, started Nature Gallery in 1987.

Brown sells her sterling silver, brass and gemstone jewelry exclusively at Nature Gallery. Her fall collection will feature approximately 75 one-of-a-kind pieces, including a glass-and-cyanite pendant, crystallized kenoite earrings and an ammonite fossil pin.

The artist benefit reception will be held 5-8 p.m., Friday, at Nature Gallery, 87 Town & Country Village, Palo Alto. It will include a silent auction and refreshments contributed by other local businesses.