Amazon has a number of specially wrapped holiday vans that are making deliveries across Chicago, and if you find one, you could win some Amazon cash for yourself and for a good cause.
Those who spot an Amazon holiday van, and post a picture to social media, can win a $250 Amazon gift card and another $250 will be given to one of three local non-profits: Northern Illinois Food Bank; My Block, My Hood, My City; and Make-A-Wish Illinois.
To win, you have to post the image to Instagram or Twitter, use the hashtag #DeliveringSmiles, #ThankYouDrivers and #Giveaway, and tag Amazon in the post. People are also asked to "share their appreciation for the men and women bringing gifts and essential items to doorsteps this holiday season."
The vans are hitting Chicago streets from Dec. 1 through Jan. 3, and will also be in Nashville. Amazon says a winner will be randomly selected each week.
The giveaway comes amid a frantic hiring spree for Amazon, which is adding employees at a pace that's "unrivaled in the history of corporate America," according to the New York Times.
The e-commerce giant added 427,300 employees during the first 10 months of 2020, pushing its global workforce to 1.2 million. The number of people working for Amazon is likely even higher, as that global workforce total doesn't count 100,000 temporary workers brought on for the holidays and 500,000 contract delivery drivers, according to the Times.
The Times noted that Amazon's pace of hiring is only matched by what entire industries were doing in the early years of World War II. Close to 20,000 full-time employees currently work in Amazon facilities across Illinois.
