Bay Area

PRESS ROOM: San Leandro Launches Digital Gift Cards for Local Residents, Businesses

By supporting local businesses, more money continues circulating through the local community—this is achieved through a combination of profits paid to local business owners, wages paid to local workers, goods and services procured locally for internal use or resale, and charitable giving within the community.

Published

2 years ago

November 26, 2021

Oakland Post

Recipients pick up their Yiftee gifts using their smartphone at their favorite local restaurants and shops, driving profitable business to those merchants. For more info, see Yiftee.com or email info@yiftee.com.

New mobile gift card serves as a simple way to support San Leandro business community

By Paul Sanftner

The City of San Leandro is proud to announce the new Keeping it Local San Leandro gift card, a community-based digital gift card that makes it fun and easy to keep local spending local.

Purchase a Keeping it Local San Leandro gift card to use at any of the participating shops in the neighborhood.

With this card, you can write a personal message and send it to family, friends and colleagues via email, text, or physical copy. Recipients can redeem gift cards at one or more of many participating merchants in San Leandro.

All-digital and always available on your phone, the Keeping it Local San Leandro gift card is great for birthdays, holidays, teacher appreciation, coach gifts, or just to show your appreciation to a friend. Now you can give back to the community while you celebrate the upcoming holidays.

As an added bonus, for a limited time, when you purchase a $25 (or more) gift card you will receive a $10 bonus gift card. If you purchase a $50 (or more) gift card, you will receive a $20 bonus gift card. If you purchase a $100 (or more) gift card you will receive a $40 bonus gift card. (Limit 2 per customer, while supplies last or until December 30, 2021).

The program is a part of San Leandro’s recovery efforts to support businesses and foster community. Support for the bonus gifts is being provided by American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) federal recovery funds.

So far, a good variety of businesses have signed up to participate in the program, including Anytime Fitness, 21st-Amendment Brewery, As Kneaded Bakery, Sabino’s Cafe, Estudillo Produce, codeAtorium, It’s a Grind Coffee House, Inner Athlete, the Cooler, Pallen’s Martial Arts, B*Dazzled Dancers, Zocalo Coffeehouse, and Hanoi Chicken Noodle. Businesses can sign up anytime by reaching out to the City.

Why supporting local businesses is so important

Participating in this program means supporting the heart of what makes San Leandro unique. The purchase of a Keeping It Local San Leandro gift card creates a pool of cash that local businesses in San Leandro can rely on.

Studies^[1] have shown that local, independent retailers recirculate 47% of their revenue back into the community, while only 14% of national chains’ revenue stays in the community. More dramatically, restaurants recirculate 73% of their revenue back into the community, versus only 30% for national chains.

If you’re looking for a way to do some good or want to know how you can help the community you love, send a Keeping it Local San Leandro gift card today! For more information or to participate as a merchant in the program, please contact the City of San Leandro: slnext@sanleandro.org.

About Yiftee

Yiftee (Yiftee.com) is the award-winning, no hassle eGift card and promotions solution for local businesses and communities. With no special technology or POS integration, no revenue-share and no special accounting, it’s easy for merchants to offer eGift Cards on their website and Facebook pages.

Merchants gain additional sales, foot traffic, and an eGifting capability like big retailers. Consumers, corporations, and merchants use the Yiftee mobile and online website to send thoughtful, unexpected gifts via email, text or print.

Paul Sanftner is the communications and community relations manager in San Leandro’s City Manager’s Office.

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Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

Published

16 hours ago

April 26, 2024

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

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Alameda County

DA Pamela Price Stands by Mom Who Lost Son to Gun Violence in Oakland

Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018.

Published

4 days ago

April 22, 2024

Oakland Post

District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones

Publisher’s note: Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018. The photo was too small for readers to see where the women were and what they were doing. Here we show Price and Jones as they complete a walk in memory of Scott. For more information and to contribute, please contact Carol Jones at 510-978-5517 at morefoundation.help@gmail.com. Courtesy photo.

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Bay Area

State Controller Malia Cohen Keynote Speaker at S.F. Wealth Conference

California State Controller Malia Cohen delivered the keynote speech to over 50 business women at the Black Wealth Brunch held on March 28 at the War Memorial and Performing Arts Center at 301 Van Ness Ave. in San Francisco. The Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) hosted the Green Room event to launch its platform designed to close the racial wealth gap in Black and Brown communities.

Published

6 days ago

April 20, 2024

Oakland Post

American Business Women’s Association Vice President Velma Landers, left, with California State Controller Malia Cohen (center), and ABWA President LaRonda Smith at the Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the ABWA at the Black Wealth Brunch.

By Carla Thomas

The Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) hosted the Green Room event to launch its platform designed to close the racial wealth gap in Black and Brown communities.

“Our goal is to educate Black and Brown families in the masses about financial wellness, wealth building, and how to protect and preserve wealth,” said ABWA San Francisco Chapter President LaRonda Smith.

ABWA’s mission is to bring together businesswomen of diverse occupations and provide opportunities for them to help themselves and others grow personally and professionally through leadership, education, networking support, and national recognition.

“This day is about recognizing influential women, hearing from an accomplished woman as our keynote speaker and allowing women to come together as powerful people,” said ABWA SF Chapter Vice President Velma Landers.

More than 60 attendees dined on the culinary delights of Chef Sharon Lee of The Spot catering, which included a full soul food brunch of skewered shrimp, chicken, blackened salmon, and mac and cheese.

Cohen discussed the many economic disparities women and people of color face. From pay equity to financial literacy, Cohen shared not only statistics, but was excited about a new solution in motion which entailed partnering with Californians for Financial Education.

“I want everyone to reach their full potential,” she said. “Just a few weeks ago in Sacramento, I partnered with an organization, Californians for Financial Education.

“We gathered 990 signatures and submitted it to the [California] Secretary of State to get an initiative on the ballot that guarantees personal finance courses for every public school kid in the state of California.

“Every California student deserves an equal opportunity to learn about filing taxes, interest rates, budgets, and understanding the impact of credit scores. The way we begin to do that is to teach it,” Cohen said.

By equipping students with information, Cohen hopes to close the financial wealth gap, and give everyone an opportunity to reach their full financial potential. “They have to first be equipped with the information and education is the key. Then all we need are opportunities to step into spaces and places of power.”

Cohen went on to share that in her own upbringing, she was not guided on financial principles that could jump start her finances. “Communities of color don’t have the same information and I don’t know about you, but I did not grow up listening to my parents discussing their assets, their investments, and diversifying their portfolio. This is the kind of nomenclature and language we are trying to introduce to our future generations so we can pivot from a life of poverty so we can pivot away and never return to poverty.”

Cohen urged audience members to pass the initiative on the November 2024 ballot.

“When we come together as women, uplift women, and support women, we all win. By networking and learning together, we can continue to build generational wealth,” said Landers. “Passing a powerful initiative will ensure the next generation of California students will be empowered to make more informed financial decisions, decisions that will last them a lifetime.”