Curran & Keegan Leads Amherst Area Chamber Holiday Gift Card Match
HADLEY — Curran & Keegan Financial of Hadley is leading the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce’s inaugural Holiday Gift Card Match with a $5,000 investment in the program. BankESB has also joined the effort with an additional $1,000 match.
“Now more than ever, we need to support our local businesses by encouraging local patronage,” said Molly Keegan, CPA and co-owner of Curran & Keegan. “Forget the big mail-order internet retailers and embrace the joy of shopping in our friends’ and neighbors’ stores. Local jobs matter; local commerce matters. Shop early and shop local.”
Beginning on Friday, Dec. 3 (not before), the community will be able to purchase $25 gift cards (with an additional $1 processing fee) that will be doubled in value due to this match. There is a limit of two per person. The match is available only on $25 gift cards purchased. Thus, for a $26 purchase, the buyer receives a $50 gift card. The match will be sold exclusively at the chamber’s Visitor Information Center at 35 South Pleasant St., Amherst.
“Our Amherst-area businesses continue to experience financial challenges as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Claudia Pazmany, the chamber’s executive director. “The Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce launched the gift-card program at the height of our pandemic in an effort to buoy them and help them keep their doors open. As severe understaffing continues to plague our businesses, we knew we had to activate the purchase power of buying local. There was no better time than the holiday season to reinforce our call to support local all season long than announcing two generous businesses who have joined together to create a $6,000 match — Curran & Keegan Financial and BankESB. We could not be more grateful for their leadership support.”
Curran & Keegan demonstrated its support of small business as a leader in supporting the Amherst Area Chamber’s Winter Pivot Micro-Grant program at the beginning of 2021, and is building on that commitment to support the local economy’s emergence from the pandemic.
The Amherst Business Improvement District is also hosting the return of the Red Ticket event. For every $25 gift card purchased while the match lasts, the buyer will receive two red tickets toward the Red Ticket drawing for one of four cash prizes of $250 or one for $1,000, on Saturday, Dec. 18 at 3 p.m. at Kendrick Park.
