It started with an idea from one of our East Grand Rapids Schools Foundation board members: “What can we do to help local businesses right now?”
In a very short time, that idea has turned into Gaslight Giveback, a way to support local businesses that have had to either close or radically change their way of doing business because of the virus. We launched Gaslight Giveback Wednesday, April 22, with a group of restaurants in Gaslight Village. Here's how it works:
- Donors purchase gift cards from local restaurants in person or by phone.
- Restaurants collect the gift cards for the Foundation.
- The Foundation uses the gift cards later this summer or in the fall to raise money to help our students and our schools.
Everyone wins with this program. Donors get the tax benefit from donating to the Foundation. Businesses get the income from the gift card purchases now to help them survive these trying times. And the Foundation can use the gift cards later as auction items or raffle prizes to help raise money to help meet the future needs of our schools.
To see a list of restaurants that are participating in the program, visit our Gaslight Giveback page.
