This past year, we wrote a letter to all the merchants at a near-by shopping center, asking them to join with us and offer a one-time special discount on some part of their services or products. This included restaurants, a lingerie store, greeting card/gift shops, and a gas station. Some offered a discount on products - others, a free item when another item was purchased. We designed a "Volunteer Appreciation Card", which listed the merchants on the back, and specified the benefit. After the retailers approved the card, we distributed them at our annual volunteer recognition event. We hope that response from the merchants will be even stronger next year, as we intend to do this again. It is a "win-win" for our community, and a good marketing tool for the shop owners. Our volunteers loved it, and appreciated the effort that went into its creation!