Fri November 21, 2008
Batavia, IL: It all started with an idea by Addie Marconi of Bee-Attitudes Antiques wanting to help out area families during the holidays, "We want to give back to Batavia and our citizens that need a helping hand this Christmas season." The idea of doing a food and toy drive came at the same time as a Batavia MainStreet retailers group was forming this fall, so the group decided a give back campaign would be their first joint promotion. The idea quickly gained momentum as well as the number of businesses willing to help out. The new Retailers group, co-chaired by Mary Marconi-Popiel of Special Occasions and Kelly Tiberi of the Red Geranium is off and planning together and this promotion gives the group purpose for their first project. Marconi-Popiel says "We realize times are tough and hope this promotion encourages more donations by having each participating business give back something in return."
So how does the promotion work? It's quite simple - when a customer brings in a donation of non-perishable food for the Batavia Interfaith Food Pantry or a toy for the ACCESS Toy drive, they receive a special discount or promotional item in return from each participating merchant. The following participating businesses are displaying the red "Give Back via Batavia" sign in their window and are collecting items starting on Friday November 28th through the holiday season.
For more information about the Batavia MainStreet Retailers group, contact the MainStreet office at (630)761-3528. The Batavia MainStreet Program is one of 58 not-for-profit, community based organizations in the state of Illinois. The mission of Batavia MainStreet is to enhance the identity of Batavia's downtown area as the heart of our community. MainStreet members work through the four points: Design, Economic Restructuring, Organization and Promotion to improve the downtown district. MainStreet volunteers believe the revitalization of Downtown Batavia is essential to our community's sense of pride, place, and heritage for this and future generations. For more information Batavia MainStreet or to volunteer, please contact the office at (630) 761-3528, email britta@downtownbatavia.com or check online at www.downtownbatavia.com.