Local businesses organize gift card giveaway for Moose Jaw’s frontline workers
A gesture meant to bring together local businesses in support of local essential workers has morphed into an incredible show of Moose Jaw’s supportive spirit. A collection of around 30 businesses here in Moose Jaw joined together to donate $10 gift cards to Moose Jaw’s Ultimate Thank You Giveaway, a Facebook project first imagined by Dalton Duzan, of Duzan Construction. The idea was to put together “thank you” bundles of gift cards for frontline workers who are still keeping the community functioning, as a way of supporting not only those in essential services but also those businesses working hard to stay open.
“It’s just really nice to be able to put something together that the community actually engaged in,” said Duzan. “And good on all of these businesses for putting a little bit out there when it’s not the best time to be doing so.” Duzan was overwhelmed by how quickly his idea “blew up way bigger than expected” within the business community, as businesses rallied together to donate gift cards to the cause.
He was expecting to put together maybe six or seven thank you bundles and ended up with nearly $500 in gift cards that were handed out to 34 individual winners in the community for their continued dedication as frontline workers.
“We thought we would provide each winner with a bundle of $10 gift cards, and never did I imagine having [this many] bundles to give away,” said Duzan.
Each business shared Duzan Construction’s Facebook post about the giveaway and encouraged the public to tag essential workers on the post to be nominated for a thank you package.
Nominations included an incredible range of essential workers, including health care workers and care home workers, but also more: grocery store attendants, heavy-duty mechanics, bank tellers, delivery drivers, corrections workers, construction workers, and more. Just before Duzan drew the winners on April 17, his post alone had reached almost 22,000 people on Facebook — not taking into account all of the other businesses that had their own audiences.
“It definitely reached a mass amount, for sure,” said Duzan.
“I think businesses really needed this and it’s just a nice way to give back to those who are putting themselves at risk.”
Duzan delivered the bundles of gift cards to the winners on April 18, dropping them off in mailboxes and on doorsteps to stay in line with the social distancing recommendations.
“We did get a few delivered [where we] talked to people, and they were all really happy,” said Dalton. “They were very appreciative, the reactions from some people we dropped [bundles off with].”