Lucky 7 Car Store recently gave away 250 backpacks filled with school supplies.
A table was set up inside the business at 4763 N. Ind. 15, Warsaw, with all the supplies the kids needed - pens, paper, headphones, folders, crayons, colored pencils, scissors, rulers and backpacks. Anyone who needed the supplies for their student(s) could just stop in and get them.
The giveaway began Aug. 3, but then Lucky 7 owners Amanda Marshall and Travis Dice had to order more school supplies.
“We saw a huge demand on the 3rd and the 4th,” Dice said. “So then we reordered and had another giveaway that started Monday, the 7th. I think by the 8th we were all gone.”
He said they had the giveaway because they’re part of the community.
“We’ve been in business for 10 years and we want to make sure the kids get what they need to go to school, to have all the tools. We want to make sure they’re prepared for the school day. Sometimes, with other things and, unfortunately, with car payments, with the cost of inflation and things like that, some parents aren’t able to provide those things. It’s just our way of giving back to the community,” Dice stated.
To get the school supplies, all they had to do was just stop in. They didn’t have to test drive or buy a car. They didn’t need to be a previous customer.
“There were no strings attached,” he said.
This was the first year Lucky 7 Car Store had the school supply giveaway. After the demand they had this year, Dice said they plan to repeat the giveaway next year.
As of Friday, Lucky 7 had some school supplies left, like crayons and composition notebooks.
“I think we gave an enormous amount of stuff away. We made sure that Kleenexes were included. We made sure that headphones were included. Just anything and everything that a kindergartner all the way to a high schooler could get,” Dice said.
The giveaway wasn’t the first thing Lucky 7 has done to be a part of the community. Dice said one of the big things they’ve done is provide a car to Warsaw Community High School for their perfect attendance car giveaway.
This past December, starting on Dec. 1 through the 25th, Lucky 7 had a daily $100 giveaway for Christmas. Every Saturday was a $500 giveaway.
“That wasn’t tied to anything else. That was something we did here where they just came in, put their name in a hat. At the end of the day, we called them and let them know they won a free gift card and they could come in and pick it up,” Dice said.
It was the first year for the Lucky 7 Christmas Giveaway. Dice said it’s still up in the air as to whether or not they’ll do it again this Christmas, or they might just change it up again.
Dice reiterated that giving back to the community was the most important thing about the things they’ve done.
“We live here. This is home for us. We’re family owned. So making sure that not only can someone come here for a car, but making sure they can come here for other things as well. We have kids that are in school. We understand that life happens. We understand that you’re going to have unexpected costs or you just might need a little help with something. We just want to make sure that people know they can count on us, as much as we count on them as customers,” Dice said.
He said it wasn’t about publicity. They just posted the giveaway on their Facebook page, and Lucky 7 didn’t contact the newspaper about the recent giveaway, someone else did because they thought Marshall and Dice should get some recognition.
“We don’t do this for the recognition. To us, it’s just taking care of the community. We do things quietly,” Dice said. “... I don’t need the pat on the back or I don’t need the notoriety as far as when it comes. I appreciate it, but it’s not why we do it.”