The $200 a Brookhaven woman will save on Christmas spending thisyear after winning last week’s Hometown Christmas promotion willbenefit a worthy cause.

Verna Pitre plans on buying Christmas gifts for her family andfriends, but the $200 in Hometown Bucks she won recently will allowher to save that much of her own money, giving her the opportunityto help others during the holidays.

“When I told my husband I had won, he immediately suggested weuse the money we save to give to missionaries we help in thePhilippines,” Pitre said of her husband, Wilfred, a localpastor.

She was very excited to hear the news of winning, afterdiligently placing her name in the promotion box almost every weekat State Bank.

“It’s the first time I’ve ever won anything. I was surprised andhappy,” Pitre commented when she was presented with her”bucks.”

Pitre can spend her Hometown Bucks at any of the participatingmerchants:

* Bank of Brookhaven

* Brookwood Gifts & Antiques

* Lofton’s Sporting Goods

* Rushing Boots and Shoe Shop

* Shipp’s Flowers

* State Bank

* T.H. Perkins Furniture Company

* Walls Lumber

Only one more weekly drawing for $200 in Hometown Bucks is leftin The DAILY LEADER’S Hometown Christmas promotion. A grand prizedrawing for $600 will be held Dec. 14.

Each Friday, one name is drawn from the participating merchants’promotion box, then the winner will be drawn from those names, witha total of $2,000 given away before Christmas in an effort toencourage residents to shop locally to help the area economy.

Shoppers may register for the drawings at any of theparticipating businesses. Shoppers may enter as many times as theywould like.

Employees of the DAILY LEADER and their families are noteligible to win. Employees of participating merchants may notregister at their respective business, but they may register at anyof the other participating businesses.