MT. VERNON, IL — The Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce announced Friday the start of a virtual raffle to aid local businesses that had to close their doors because they were deemed non-essential or couldn’t provide a type of curb-side service during the COVID-19 pandemic. Executive Director of the chamber, Mike Beard says the list consists of 20 area businesses.

Twenty dollars buys you 10 entries into the raffle while $50 gets you 30 chances at the prize. Beard says the goal is to give each business $1,000 to help recoup the lost sales during this shutdown.

You can buy your tickets via the chamber website at southernillinois.com or find more information on their Facebook page. Listen to the full interview with Mike Beard on the Southern Illinois Insider, this Sunday at 11am on AM940/94.1/96.1/96.5FM, WMIX.