‘Who Gives a Puck?’ campaign focusing on shopping local

Written By Sam Odrowski

Small to medium size businesses have been hardest hit economically by COVID-19 restrictions and lockdowns, demonstrating the importance of shopping locally.

An initiative to motivate those who shop in Orangeville and the surrounding area has launched, called “Who Gives a Puck?” awareness campaign, which is being organized by Blackstock Ford Lincoln. 

Anyone who would like to participate in the campaign can drop by the dealership and show a receipt of $25 or more spent at a local non-essential business to receive a hockey puck autographed by NHL superstar Jamie Macoun. Those who show their receipts will also be entered into a weekly draw for two tickets to see the new #34, Auston Matthews, play at the Scotia Bank Arena, running for the next 11 weeks.

In addition to Blackstock Ford Lincoln, which is located at 207155 Highway 9, receipts of over $25 can be brought to Bad Dog or Quick Lane, both located at 670 Riddell, Orangeville. 

The idea behind “Who Gives a Puck?” is to support the local businesses who suffered during past COVID-19 lockdowns, said Jim Carson, who organized the campaign and owns Blackstock Ford Lincoln.

“For car dealerships, we were deemed an essential service and didn't have to close but the businesses like restaurants and the retailers, the gift stores, those that had to close, those are the ones that need the most support now,” said Carson.

“The point I want to try and get across is that people really need to eat, shop and enjoy local.”

Instead of online shopping or going to large corporate chains like Costco, check to see if what you're looking for can be bought by a small business.

And if a store doesn't have a certain item in stock, most of the time they can order it in and you can pick it up within a reasonable period of time.

“Just think about what you're purchasing, and is it available locally? Try to just change your habit, if you are one who's buying online,” said Carson. “Also, don't make the assumption that your local retail stores can't supply it for you or have it.”

Returns are also no concern when buying locally, instead of online shopping where you have to ship it back to the supplier.

“If it shows up damaged, they handle that all for you. If it's the wrong item, they handle it for you,” Carson noted. 

Another benefit of looking locally first before buying something is knowing that you're support businesses who support our community such as youth sports teams or donate towards community projects, and create local jobs.

“Is Amazon sponsoring your kid's baseball team? Or who's building the new skatepark? Who's going to fund the new arena, it isn't them,” Carson said. “We don't think about that enough.”

Small businesses made up 98 per cent of all employer businesses in Canada in 2020, and 58,000 of them became inactive in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses also conducted a survey with over 4,000 business at the start of this year, with one in six business owners saying they're seriously considering shutting down permanently. 

The data for how many businesses shut down in 2021 remains to be seen, with a few weeks left in the year, but with the COVID-19 pandemic continuing, there's no better time to shop local and show your support. 

“Who Gives a Puck?” runs for the next 11 weeks, and showing a receipt of $25 or more is valid from non-essential businesses in the Hockley area, Mono, Grand Valley, Alton, Hillsburgh, Caledon and Orangeville.