|Lakes Region Weekly|
GRAY — Laura Glaser of New Gloucester is the winner of the Gray New Gloucester Development Corporation Shop Local Passport Challenge. Glaser was randomly selected at the corporation’s Oct. 12 meeting and was presented with the prize by GNGDC Treasurer Kristin Piccone.
The challenge encouraged shoppers to spend $25 each at least 10 of the 22 participating businesses to be entered in a drawing for $500.
“We were hoping to give a little boost to the local independent business in Gray and New Gloucester after the COVID-19 shelter-in-place restrictions were eased and lifted,” GNGDC President Tracy Scheckel said.
“We have so many great small businesses in the GNG area,” Glaser said. “The Shop Local Passport campaign not only incentivized me to continue to support the business familiar to me during these challenging times, it also enlightened me to a few businesses I had never visited and now will continue to support.”
The submitted entries totaled more than $2,600 in purchases between July and the end of September. GNGDC estimates that an additional $5,000 was spent by participants not eligible for the drawing.
According to Scheckel, the GNGDC is already considering a repeat of the program in the spring but for now is concentrating on the production of the next issue of the Gray New Gloucester Magazine scheduled for release in early 2021.
