King City is known for its booming agricultural production, but at its heart is the nonprofit arts organization Sol Treasures.
It’s a place where South Monterey County children can gather after school, experience the arts, and even perform their own theater productions. In the past, they have featured shows like Little Mermaid Jr and The Lion King Jr.
Jeff Hindersheid is the Executive Director of Sol Treasures. He said that each year a local group called the Monterey County STAR Foundation provides $500,000 to be distributed among the various arts organizations in the county. But this year, after the foundation’s executive director came to one of their shows, he and his board decided to donate the entire amount to Sol Treasures.
“They’re just like, ‘You’re really in the trenches.’ It’s a very underserved community. We’re here crunching the numbers to make even the smallest thing work. We don’t pay a lot of people, we rely on volunteers,” Hindersheid said.
Hinderscheid said the money was not intended to pay staff. The donation will pay for things like props, costumes and sound equipment to enhance the children’s experience at Sol Treasures.
Currently, the organization’s headquarters is a residence in King City, but Hinderscheid hopes that with the money the organization can invest in a new facility for the children to rehearse.
They would need approval from the nonprofit’s board of directors first, so it’s not certain yet.
“In the grand scheme of things, as beautiful as this gift is, we all know it can get away from you pretty quickly,” Hinderscheid said.
A potential new building would still be a few years away, he said. Right now, the kids at Sol Treasures are busy rehearsing their new show, Frozen Jr.
