Prime the Pump raises $10,000

The Prime the Pump fundraiser helped disperse an additional $10,000 across the local shops of Wimberley this weekend.

“We came up with a creative way to put an injection of financial means into this community – cash. It’s money spent in this community,” Tom Keyser, one of the event organizers said.

As Governor Greg Abbott eased the COVID-19 related restrictions on businesses, many in Wimberley began opening up for the first time since the middle of March.

“Rather than marching for pro business, we wanted to do something truly measurable, truly meaningful and these guys need the help,” Keyser said. “Seven weeks of shut down is devastating.”

More than $10,000 was raised by both sponsors and individuals in less than a week.

“Yes, (businesses) opened up yesterday at 25 percent capacities, but we want this money spent now,” Keyser said. “It has to be spent today. It can be spent anywhere in the WISD area. But we didn’t want to be the ones to decide where. We wanted to let real customers decide where they are going to spend it.”

More than 60 people showed up in front of the Wimberley Christian Church to sign up. Each was told that, due to the money raised, any receipts they brought back from businesses within Wimberley ISD from that day (with a few exceptions like H-E-B and Brookshire Brothers) would be reimbursed up to $120.

There were also some businesses, like hair salons or spas, which were not allowed to be open at this point. Keyser said $2,000 of the funds were held back in order to be re-directed to those businesses that couldn’t be open.