Meals on Wheels puts Survivor spin on Shop Local

May 27, 2021 · 0 Comments

By Rob Paul

Two things that have become increasingly clear in communities across Canada during the last 14 months that have been defined by the pandemic are the need for connection and the importance of supporting local.

With that in mind, Caledon Meals on Wheels wanted to get involved the best way that they could, and they decided to launch an interactive event for the whole community.

For the month of June, they’ll be hosting Caledon Meals on Wheel Gift Card Survivor.

To participate in the draw, residents can purchase a $25 entry ticket to buy one life—which covers the cost of a gift card—and are able to buy an additional 10 lives for $10 each to give them a total of 11 chances to win.

All “lives” are then put into a draw and names will be eliminated each week. Those who enter are asked to provide a nickname for the online spreadsheet at checkout to keep personal information confidential for every player.

The prize pool is dependent on the amount of people who purchase tickets with the gift cards being awarded to the three individuals who are left after the elimination draws. First place will receive 70 per cent of the total gift cards, second place gets 20 per cent, and third place 10 per cent—as of May 21, the prize pool was up to $675.

To play, participants must get themselves on the “island” by purchasing a $25 entry ticket and then watch the elimination draws on Caledon Meals on Wheel’s Facebook page (facebook.com/CaledonMOW) to see if they’ve been eliminated. Each time a participant’s name is drawn they lose a life with the prize winners being announced at the finale, set for June 28.

The elimination draws will run on the Facebook page all through June, Monday to Friday beginning June 2 (times of the draws will be announced close to June 2). The final day to purchase a ticket to sign up for Gift Card Survivor is May 30.

After participating in a Survivor style fundraiser, Caledon Meals on Wheels Executive Director Christine Sevigny said she thought it was a great idea that could also incorporate local businesses in the area.

“I bought tickets for a similar fundraiser, but they used bottles of wine as the main prize,” she said. “It was a lot of fun, so we used the concept and thought to give it our own twist. We knew that local businesses have struggled throughout the pandemic and thought this was one way we could raise funds for Caledon Meals on Wheels while promoting local businesses.”

A big plus with the idea was the ease of running it remotely through social media given the current COVID restrictions in place, while still giving people somewhat of an escape with something to look forward to throughout the month.

“The more lives that people buy the more chances they have to ‘survive’ until the final draw on June 28,” she says. “The final three names left will be the winners and share in the prize pool.”

The initial purchase gets people into the event, but buying more lives gives them a better chance to win while also donating money to the Caledon Meals on Wheels cause.

“The $25 counts as the entry to our virtual island and secures a gift card for the prize pool and the additional lives (chances to win) then are the proceeds to Caledon Meals on Wheels,” she said. “That was the original intent but with all the generous donations of gift cards and gift certificates we will have less gift cards to buy so more of the proceeds will go directly to our programs and services. If we get 50 entry tickets sold the prize pool will be $1,000 in gift cards/certificates (split among the three winners) and we if get 100 entry tickets sold the prize pool would go up to $2,000. The more people that buy the entry tickets the more the prize pool grows, the more lives purchased the more suspenseful it is on the days we do the elimination draws.”

Wanting to show their appreciation of the communities that have given them support through the years, Sevigny said she thought it was a no brainer to ensure local businesses were a major part of the fundraiser.

“We have always enjoyed our in-person fundraisers where we have a chance to meet and mingle with everyone, but because this isn’t possible, we thought we would try to do something unique and virtual,” she said. “Our community and our local businesses in Caledon and Orangeville have always been so generous to Caledon Meals on Wheels over the years. There are so many great local businesses out there that offer such great and unique products and services, we wanted to do something that would help promote shopping locally during these tough economic times while helping us raise funds for our Seniors programs and services.”

Although it’s early, the feedback from the local businesses participating and residents in the community has been positive and people are getting excited.

“Our local business community has been so generous and have donated most of the gift cards so far so that will help us raise more funds,” she said. “People think it is a neat idea although to be honest the concept of an elimination draw was a bit challenging to get across. It’s a different type of lottery but we are really excited to start the draw and find our who are the Survivors of our virtual island!”

This isn’t the first time they’ve tried their hand at running virtual events says Sevigny, but they’re still adjusting to the process of it and are hopeful people continue to buy in.

“Our events have always been really well attended and our community has always been so generous, so we are hoping that this event will be the same, but time is running out,” she said. “People have to buy their entry ticket and their additional lives by May 30. It’s hard to say how successful it will be since this is only the second time we have tried a virtual fundraiser.

“Last summer we did a Virtual Get Fit Day which raised about $2,400. We hope that we can raise the same or if we are really lucky maybe even a bit more. We know that some people aren’t able to access our website or join us on Facebook for the draws, but they can still participate. Staff at our office are happy to take ticket orders over the phone if they are unable to purchase them online.”

Supporting the Survivor gift card competition are local businesses Salt Cave Bolton, Wild Soapiere, Toronto Tees, Feathers N Moonbeams, the Soap Hut, and Forster’s Book Garden.

Caledon Meals on Wheels serves Caledon, Orangeville, and surrounding communities and has provided meals, grocery services, and wellness checks and visits throughout the pandemic.

Those interested in participating in Gift Card Survivor can sign up at canadahelps.org/en/charities/caledon-meals-on-wheels/events/gift-card-survivor-2021/. Questions can be directed via email to info@cmow.org.