The Costco Connection - December 2018

LAST;MINUTE STOCKING STUFFERS

Gift cards to the rescue!

Stuck for gift ideas? With the gift card program on Costco.com, members will find tickets and gift cards for movies, theme parks, city attractions, restaurants, casinos, ski passes, kids’ gifts, theater shows, sports events, golfing, hotels, gyms, spas and more. Go to “Floral, Gift Cards and Books,” then “Gift Cards & Tickets.” You can search by type of event and by region, and most tickets are delivered to you by email.

SPECIAL DELIVERY

Neither snow nor rain nor
heat nor gloom of night ...

HURRICANE HELP

Helping those in need

Costco member Donald Wyatt is the principal of Sedge Garden Elementary School in Kernersville, North Carolina. In September, when he and his family heard about the destruction from Hurricane Florence in New Bern, North Carolina, where they had formerly lived and taught, he jumped into action.

“The neighborhood we used to live in before we
relocated is completely gone,” says Wyatt. “The people
who lived in our neighborhood [many of whom are families
of students he taught] are living in shelters now.”
Wyatt contacted the principal at the school where he
had taught, who informed him that the greatest need was
for hygiene bags (soap, paper towels, toilet paper and
feminine products) and fall/winter clothing, so he took
to social media and asked his current school community
to help.

“I was blown away by the response we received,” says Wyatt. “My son and I were able to go down the weekend of September 22 to deliver a trailer full of hygiene bags as well as multiple bags of clothing, formula and cleaning supplies.” They delivered these supplies, as well as meals, to some of the hardest-hit areas.

The outpouring of donations continued, allowing the entire family to fill a 15-foot box truck as well as enough supplies for four subsequent trips. “It has been an incredible experience to be able to watch my children helping people in ways I never thought would be needed,” says Wyatt.

HOLIDAY SHOPPING

By Black Friday and Cyber Week, more than half of shoppers will have already begun their gift buying. A large group won’t get started until early December. And some people wait until Christmas Eve!

With a monthly circulation that is closing in on 13

million households, it’s perhaps not unexpected that some of those mail deliveries would be off the beaten path. Literally.

We were amazed to discover that two copies of the Connection (that’s twice as many as last year!) are delivered to Costco members at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. By mule.