After a very successful inaugural raffle that raised $7,300 for the “Community Chest” last month, the local Canada Safeway now is selling tickets on a second draw.
“The prize is a kind of ‘summer package,’” Safeway manager Mike Scott said this morning, adding it includes a barbecue, a complete wooden patio set (umbrella, tables, and chairs), and a $100 gift certificate towards food for a summer party.
And Scott noted ticket sales already are off to a good start.
“We sold quite a few books Saturday [the first day they went on sale],” he said. “Being Easter, it was pretty crazy in here. People certainly had their chance to buy tickets.
“We sold out last time—you can’t do much better than that. I expect we can do it again,” Scott added.
Only 2,000 tickets have been printed for this raffle as opposed to 4,000 last time, said “Community Chest” committee member Georges Blanc, representing both the local Knights of Columbus and La Place Rendez-Vous—two of the five partners involved in the “Community Chest.”
“We looked at the value of the prize and decided to have fewer tickets for sale. Your chances are pretty good to win,” Blanc remarked. “We’ll be extremely pleased if we can sell them all.”
The “Community Chest” committee is comprised of volunteers from the locals KCs, Kiwanis, Lions, the “Spirit of Christmas,” and the Rendez-Vous.
Its purpose is to provide financial aid to local families who may need help to cover medical costs. Blanc noted the money raised by events like the fundraiser dinner held in February is going to good use.
“We’ve had a pretty steady flow of requests and we don’t like turning anybody away,” he said. “Because of the draws at Safeway, and coverage on the radio and in the newspaper, we’re getting more exposure, which is great.”
Tickets for this latest raffle cost $5 each, and are available at Safeway. The draw will be made May 17 at 5 p.m.
The grand prize in the previous raffle, which was won by Dr. Elaine Spencer, was $100 worth of groceries a week for a year. This was drawn March 1.
A third raffle is planned for this summer, with the grand prize being a 2002 Ford Mustang convertible.
The local Canada Safeway employees adopted the “Community Chest” as their charity for this year.