Investigate Ups and Downs Thrift Store / Shoals Area Families

This is a petition from concerned citizens asking that the charity "Shoals Area Families" along with it's associated business "Ups and Downs Thrift Store" be fully investigated and audited. There is ongoing suspicion that money from donations and money acquired from the sale of donated goods has been used by the director/owner, Melissa Hargett, almost solely for her personal use and gain. Furthermore, Melissa Hargett has stated publicly that she does not receive any type of compensation or personal monetary benefit from the store or charity but multiple former employees are willing to testify and produce documents to the contrary that show that funds in the charitable account of Shoals Area Families along with cash acquired from sales of donated goods at the Ups and Downs Thrift Store do indeed go directly to Melissa Hargett to pay for her personal expenses such as bar tabs, liquor store purchases, department store purchases, phone bills, trips and hotel fees, restaurant tabs, Netflix and Amazon subscriptions, and other personal non-business or charity related expenditures. Furthermore, money and goods collected for specific fundraising activities such as The Christmas Fund and specific families in need are suspected to be either never used for said purposes or the families named in such fundraisers are either non-existent or never received the money and/or goods that were donated. Shoals Area Families is listed as a domestic non-profit corporation with the Office of the Secretary of State of Alabama but is not registered as a 501c with the IRS. There is also concern that donors to this charity were also given receipts for donations and fraudulently led to believe that the charity is in good standing with the IRS with a registered 501c status. It is also questionable that the director/owner, Hargett, has been forthright with the Alabama Department of Revenue in reporting total sales and sales tax to the Alabama Dept of Revenue and to the IRS.
This business/charity is located at 602 Veterans Drive in Florence, Alabama. Registered information with the state of Alabama:
Entity number 312-324
Entity Type: Domestic Non-profit Corporation
Directors: Melissa Hargett
Kevin Knight, Elizabeth Messer
Registered agent: Wilson Jenkins,
Incorporator name: Melissa Hargett
This petition will be sent to:
Alabama Secretary of State
Alabama Attorney General
Lauderdale County District Attorney
Florence, Alabama Police Department
Alabama Department of Revenue
Internal Revenue Service
Mayor Steve Holt, Florence, Al
City Council of Florence, Alabama

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