Mike Nabut understood that families are often stretched thin financially during the holiday season, and that this year things would get even tighter for some.
He’s decided to do something about that.
The Birdies Food and Fuel owner and general manager has been giving out a $200 gift card every day since Nov. 1. From Nov. 1 to Nov. 7, patrons could visit the one of the store locations and put their name in a raffle box. From there, Nabut draws the winners each day, and those winners can pick up their gift card immediately.
“You know, I happen to be at the store and … it’s the worst thing in the world for a kid to ask for some candy, and as a parent you have to tell them, ‘I don’t have the money,’” said Nabut. “And not, I don’t have the money on me because it’s in the car or it’s at home. It’s just that I simply don’t have the money. So, if you can just make things a little bit easier for that family for one day, I feel like you’ve accomplished a lot.”
Sometimes, Nabut will draw several winners at once – such as a recent drawing for an upcoming Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and all three winners were able to immediately retrieve their gift cards.
“This is the time of year when people are really trying to stretch the dollar,” said Nabut. “And on top of that, with (the recent disruption to SNAP benefits) some now getting assistance they’ve been accustomed to, it’s suddenly shut off. It can leave people in a tough situation.”
Seeing the joy that winning the raffle has brought to several people already is a great reward, Nabut said.
“You see those ear-to-ear smiles and they’re happy, that’s what it’s all about,” Nabut said. “They’re sharing the posts (on social media about the winner). It’s to help them with anything they need in their day to day lives.”
In 2005, Nabut opened the first of several local stores under the Birdies banner – the first site would be in Hahnville. Today, the Nabut family oversees more than 20 Birdies stores across southeast Louisiana. Recently, the family expanded into Baton Rouge with the purchase of two Circle K stores there.
Nabut has helped make Christmas merrier for local families for some time now, one of the most recent examples coming last December, when he helped provide holiday gift baskets for several St. Rose families who were displaced from their homes due to an apartment building fire.
