Humans of Peachland launches to highlight local business owners, non-profits and longtime residents

Photo: Contributed

Based on the Humans of New York social media initiative, the Peachland Chamber of Commerce has launched the 'Humans of Peachland' project.

The entire series is based on someone interviewing 'everyday people' to create condensed short stories. The project is run by former journalist Matthew Abrey, a recent BCIT Broadcast and online journalism graduate.

“The whole idea of the project is to shed some light on the faces and personalities behind our town’s small businesses,” says Abrey. “We’re a tourist town of 5,000 people and when we saw how much COVID-19 is affecting not only local businesses, but businesses around the Okanagan, we knew we had to do anything we
could to help.”

During these unprecedented times when budgets are tight for most, this initiative aims to promote and advertise the businesses of locals, without it costing a dime.

“The chamber and its members are mostly in a good spot. At its root, yes we hope the project will help these businesses advertise, but more than anything, it’s a human interest project,” says Abrey. “If there is one thing Peachlanders have, it’s a good story and my goodness, some of the stories we’ve released so far have gotten an incredible response.“

The average reach per post is more than 3,000 people on Facebook alone.

Humans of Peachland will run for at least the remainder of summer, featuring local business owners, non-profits and longtime residents who all have a story to tell.

Each chapter is posted to the Peachland Chamber of Commerce's website, Facebook and Instagram.