Radio station KTSY, broadcasting at 89.5 FM, and Boise Rescue Mission had an over-the-top successful fundraiser at the Village in Meridian dining and shopping center on May 15 and 16, 2018. The fundraiser, Summer of Hope, is all about feeding the hungry during the summer months, especially when the giving is much lower in the summer time.
The Boise Rescue Mission had a goal to provide 22,000 meals this year, but the Treasure Valley came out in full force and raised enough for 25,220 meals. Supporters even kept us at a 14-songs-in-a-row streak with a gift of $500 or more. Bill Roscoe, Boise Rescue Mission president and CEO, offered up a challenge: “I’ll do an interpretive dance if we meet a challenge.” Well, that happened too.
It was a beautiful day at the Village in Meridian. Boise Rescue Mission presented KTSY and the Village with a thank-you plaque in appreciation for their help feeding the area's hungry.
KTSY also teamed up May 7, 2018, with Chick-fil-A at the Village in Meridian to surprise listeners with a new “temporary” employee — Nashville recording artist Jordan Feliz — for a Drive-Thru Difference.
KTSY has been doing Drive-Thru Difference for quite sometime but this time with a little twist. Feliz spent an hour meeting fans and customers that just received a free meal from Chick-fil-A. Then Feliz headed out for a concert performance that evening.
The Drive-Thru Difference has become a popular and fun thing promoted by many radio stations all over the United States. Listeners are encouraged to pay for the car behind them in a drive-through or for the next person in line inside their favorite fast food place. It’s exciting for the payer and a kind gesture received by the recipient.
KTSY provides a small card the payer can hand to the cashier to give to the recipient. It’s quite common for the cashier to look puzzled at first, maybe disbelieving someone would just pay for a random person. This fun way to brighten a day brings forward many stories of how this little act really has come at the right time.
For a video of the day's event, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhhHLEDhQY4&feature=youtu.be.