To help local eateries, the Old Saybrook Chamber of Commerce is hosting a restaurant raffle with gift cards to all the restaurants in town this holiday season. The drawing will be on Friday, Dec. 16.

Interested parties can purchase a raffle ticket for $20. Tickets go on sale Thursday, Dec. 1. The drawing will be Friday, Dec. 16 at noon. Tickets can be bought at https://greatosraffle.eventgroovefundraising.com/824ee3/Campaign/Details or at the chamber office.

There are 10 total prizes people can win, some of which are worth thousands of dollars.

The first prize is 46 $100 restaurant gift cards, which is one gift card to every Old Saybrook and Old Saybrook Chamber member restaurant. Second place is 46 $50 restaurant gift cards, to those same restaurants. Prizes 3 through 10 are $25 gift cards to five local eateries. There are 2,000 total tickets for sale.

Old Saybrook Chamber of Commerce Member Services Manager Christa Maynard said that this third year the chamber is running this promotion after it was so successful the first year.

“It went very well last year,” said Maynard.

The raffle was held for the first time in 2020 as a way to help restaurants rebound during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sullivan noted in the past that 2020 was a tough year for the restaurant industry in particular as people were uncomfortable with being around others in close proximity due to COVID-19. Many restaurants were forced to alter how they did business and many were also forced to close permanently. As a way to support the businesses in trying times, the chamber came up with the raffle idea.

While things have been better since the winter of 2020, Sullivan said that there has still been some hardship for the industry.

“Especially this time of year, the restaurants tend to be a little quieter. This is just a great way to support our great restaurants during the winter months as well as get the community together. We’ll also be selling during the Starlight festival,” Maynard said.

Maynard said that the money raised by the raffle goes back into the community. One way is that additional gift cards are purchased and given to the town’s Youth & Family Services to help out people in need.