Hurricane Sandy: California retailer aims to raise $20K

Pedrotti Ace Hardware, a dealer in Benicia, Calif., has launched a matching-funds campaign for the victims of Hurricane Sandy. His goal: $20,000.

Cashiers at the store are asking patrons if they’d be willing to donate to the Red Cross Hurricane Sandy fund. Store owner Gene Pedrotti has pledged to match the first $10,000 donated by customers.

“We’re really good at impulse selling,” Pedrotti told HCN. “This is impulse giving.” 

The San Francisco Bay area dealer got the idea on Monday night, Oct. 29, and downloaded a template from Ace Corporate to help launch the charitable campaign on Tuesday. “It’s only been four days and we’re already at $3,000,”  Pedrotti said. “We haven’t even been through the weekend yet.”

Pedrotti Ace Hardware has a long tradition of collecting funds for past disasters. Last year, it raised nearly $70,000 for victims of the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan in March 2011.