PUBLISHER'S NOTE

Let’s Rebound Together

This past Saturday, Barry and I received our $50 in Gulfport Rebound vouchers. We’re not sure where we’ll spend them, but they’ll definitely get spent. On the other side of the spectrum, one of my friends won’t use hers because she says she doesn’t need the help. That’s fine, and completely her prerogative, but if you’re considering not participating, take a moment and think about how spending those vouchers strengthens our community.

Let’s say you take your $50 and spend it at a local eatery. Sure, that eatery might look busy, and maybe you think to yourself, “they don’t need my money” but here’s what you may not realize: That restaurant is paying more for food than it did a year ago, and, in many cases, has a higher payroll because many food service workers didn’t return to the industry aft er the pandemic, creating a more competitive job market. So even though that restaurant isn’t obviously struggling, that extra $25 or $50 you spend helps.

If you, like me, have the Amazon van in front of your home so frequently you’ve thought about getting the driver a holiday card, these vouchers help you extend the sentiments of Small Business Saturday.

Locally owned shops like Zaiya, Stella’s Sundries, Reef Dog or Red Hot Tiki – to name a few – accept the vouchers.

Ever heard of buying a “suspended coffee”? That’s when someone buys a cup of coffee, but tells the coffee shop to use the money to pay for a coffee for someone who can’t, for whatever reason, afford it. Sumitra practices this, and they accept vouchers for suspended coffee.

Thanks to Gulfport’s city manager, Jim O’Reilly, the council expanded the program to include local nonprofits, and the Gulfport Multipurpose Senior Center Foundation (membership: $35), Gulfport Historical Society (membership: $20$1000) and Project FREE (you can buy the student art at their shop] all accept Rebound vouchers.

If a Gulfport friend struggles to meet basic bills, go to city hall, give them your friend’s name or address, and pay their water bill with the vouchers. (Please note: You must bring the vouchers to city hall!)

Finally, we have a few folks who advertise in our classified section who always pay cash – sometimes with the change in their pocket – and I know they’d love to hear that someone paid for their ad for a week or two. Our operations manager, Debbie Dunbar, can discreetly make sure those vouchers help a classified advertiser who needs a boost – so they can spend that found $25 or $50 on something for their kids.

However you spend it, let’s rebound together.

– Cathy Cathy@thegabber.com