For the third year in a row, staff from Chesapeake Bank are selling gift cards to help “boost” local businesses. These gift cards, funded by the bank and local partners throughout the Northern Neck, the Middle Peninsula, Williamsburg, Richmond, and Chesterfield regions, are designed for customers to purchase holiday gifts and other items at companies who are anything but “big box.”
At these “BOOST” events, the lines are full of people who have different ideas of what to do with a gift card worth $50 which they’ll purchase for just $25. Many times, that includes buying gifts for the upcoming holiday season, or sometimes even gas or groceries.
But for Pat Hudson and her husband, Ray, a BOOST gift card helped them do something else entirely. The Hudsons visited a BOOST event in 2021, and used their cards to do some good.
“My husband and I do a food ministry for the Arbors at Town Park for senior citizens,” said Pat. “And we were having either bulk food or too much food to give away at one time. So, your event [last year] enabled us to buy a small freezer for our apartment that we could store food in so we could thaw it split it up between families.”
“And it was just a wonderful thing that Chesapeake Bank enabled us to do, and we appreciate it so much,” said Pat. “Thank you very much.”
In their way, the Hudsons’ story of giving back with their BOOST cards is exactly what is intended with the program — helping out others in the community.
Chesapeake Bank cannot take full credit for the success of the BOOST program, as many community partners have also stepped up to make sure this year’s events are better than ever. Thanks to the following, Chesapeake Bank has been able to make BOOST better than ever:
Lancaster by the Bay Chamber of Commerce, Lancaster County Economic Development Authority, Town of Kilmarnock, and Two Rivers Communications — home of WIGO Country and Bay FM 101.7
Mathews Visitor Center, Mathews County Economic Development Authority, Gloucester Chamber of Commerce, Main Street Preservation Trust, the Gloucester Main Street Association, and Xtra99FM
Greater Williamsburg Chamber of Commerce, the Yes, Williamsburg Economic Development, James City County office of Economic Development, York County Economic Development, Williamsburg Area Restaurant Association, 92.3FM The Tide, and WYDaily.com
Chesterfield Economic Development Authority and the Chesterfield Chamber of Commerce