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Ucluelet launches bingo contest to support local restaurants

Four Ucluelet Co-op shopping sprees are up for grabs in #Ukee2go competition.
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Ucluelet locals Rachael, Caroline and Tom enjoy refreshments on a sunny Monday afternoon at a picnic table dining area set up by the District of Ucluelet to help residents and visitors support local businesses while staying outside. (Andrew Bailey photo)

Four Co-op shopping sprees are up for grabs in Ucluelet and the only requirement to win one is to enjoy some delicious local food.

As COVID-19 restrictions cut into the restaurant business, Ucluelet’s chamber of commerce has launched a #Ukee2go bingo contest to encourage residents to support their local restaurants. The Ucluelet Co-op donated $200 worth of gift certificates and the chamber matched that donation to offer four $100 gift certificates.

Bingo cards can be printed or downloaded off the chamber’s Facebook page—www.facebook.com/UclueletCoC—with each square representing a restaurant for participants to order take-out from. Once a card has crossed off five restaurants in a row, column or diagonal line, it can be submitted to chamberoffice@uclueletinfo.com, though receipts are required for one of the four gift certificates to be claimed.

The restaurant bingo idea was first launched by Fernie’s chamber of commerce and UCOC executive director Laurie Filgiano said Ucluelet was delighted to piggyback off the initiative.

“It’s a really awesome idea that Fernie came up with,” Filgiano told the Westerly News.

READ MORE: B.C. stops indoor dining, fitness, religious service due to COVID-19 spike

She said restaurants were hit hard by a temporary prohibition on in-house dining announced by the provincial government on March 29 as an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

“What was so tough about it was that the shut down came a week before Easter on a Monday when a lot of restaurants put in orders over the weekend for their Easter rush. That really hit restaurants hard. I think a lot of businesses would have appreciated a little bit more of a heads up that this was coming,” she said. “I just can’t reiterate enough how important it is to support our restaurants right now.”

Filgiano noted that the province announced a $50 million grant program on April 8 to assist businesses impacted by the new restrictions and that several local restaurants have applied.

“That being said, we didn’t anticipate this shut down and who’s to say another one isn’t going to happen? So, regardless of the funding that’s out there from the government, it’s still so important that we support our local restaurants and our local businesses to help get them through this pandemic,” she said. “We all love our community, that’s why we live here, let’s support our businesses as much as possible right now.”

READ MORE: B.C. businesses hurt by COVID ‘circuit breaker’ can apply for grants up to $10K



andrew.bailey@westerlynews.ca

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Andrew Bailey

About the Author: Andrew Bailey

I arrived at the Westerly News as a reporter and photographer in January 2012.
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