It's hoped a collection of stories about Sarnia-Lambton businesses, charities and community groups will raise money for those in need and encourage residents to shop local.
The Year of Local project has already produced two hardcover books, featuring more than 160 stories combined about community leaders in Sarnia-Lambton.
Founder Rich Bouchard said the project aims to ensure the future success of area organizations through a shared sense of community pride.
"The whole idea behind the book is to share stories about local organizations that people love, and we feel is that if you love a particular local independent business, there may be others that if you learned about them, you'd want to support them as well. So it's just about trying to be mindful about where our dollars are spent and supporting those that support our community."
Bouchard said project sponsors are featured in the book and on the Year of Local website, and that they receive copies of the book as part of their sponsorship.
Bouchard said the first book came out in May of 2017, and that the second volume, which came out in June of 2018, helped raise $12,000 for 14 different area charities .
"We're pretty happy with how the fundraising portion turned out, and then obviously the local charities still benefit from the exposure from their story being exposed in the book and on the website and all that kind of thing," said Bouchard. "It was a way for us to bring on those not-for-profits, but help them cover the costs of participating in the book, because we have to pay for the writers, the designers, the photographer, and all that kind of stuff."
Bouchard said the third edition, featuring around 100 stories, is set to hit she shelves in early 2020.
He said you can also help support the initiative by picking up a Local Box at the The Book Keeper, Paulina's Flower Shoppe, River Bank & Co., or at the Russell Street Home Hardware.
"What the Local Box is, it's a pre-curated box and it features a bunch of local products, gift certificates, discounts, all of that kind of stuff, and 100 per cent of the proceeds from the boxes are being donated back to the local not-for-profit organizations that are featured in the book."
Bouchard said those involved in the project include Organization for Literacy in Lambton, Heaven's Wildlife Rescue, Community Concerns For The Medically Fragile and many others.
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