Alphabet Soup Thrift Store carries gently used merchandise, and donates all proceeds to the Petaluma Educational Foundation, a non-profit established in 1982 that provides grants and scholarships to local students and teachers. It also helps to fund fine arts programs in local schools. In fact, Alphabet Soup Thrift Store is the second-largest fundraiser for this local charity. The store is managed by long-time Petaluma resident Mary Shaw and is staffed almost entirely by volunteers.