UPDATE: The grand prize has been found but you can still play for fun!
Author and artist Bess Auer has crafted her latest project to raise money for Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida: an armchair treasure hunt. What’s that? It’s like Harry Potter meets Pokémon GO but set in the Orlando area. And you can win $3,000!
“Years ago, when I was still teaching, my students and I read a book with clues to a real-life hidden treasure. I was hooked and wanted to do something like that here in Orlando,” says Auer, a native Floridian. “But, I wanted to do more than just give away a prize; I wanted to build community by spotlighting some of my favorite local places and raise money for a worthy organization, Second Harvest Food Bank.”
Introducing HoundsHouse Orlando, a treasure hunt in which you download the book, decode the clues, go to secret locations, and maybe be the first to find the grand prize of $3,000, all while doing good!
To get started, participants download the book HoundsHouse Orlando (Kindle, print, and audio versions are available). $2 of every purchase goes directly to Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida to help provide nutritious meals for the 1 in 8 Central Floridians facing hunger.
The book is an action-adventure fantasy full of mythical animals and familiar locales such as Orlando Speed World, Skycraft Parts & Surplus, and the Maitland Art Center. At the end of the story, readers are invited to participate in a real-life treasure hunt using the text in the book to decode ten local places. At each of those locations, hunters unlock rewards and discounts for that specific retail shop or restaurant, as well as a clue toward the location of the grand prize of $3,000.
Here’s the catch: if the grand prize’s location is not found by midnight on June 30, 2024, the entire $3,000 will go to Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida.
Learn more in this Facebook Live pre-event discussion with author Bess Auer, Second Harvest event specialist Veronica Mucha and Swamp Sista Beth McKee.
“This isn’t a treasure hunt that will be solved in a day,” Auer adds. “It will take a bit of cleverness and research on the hunter’s part. I expect some people will work in groups, and it will make a fun family or classroom activity.”
There is a virtual version for those who live out of the area or have limited mobility, but the grand prize must be claimed in person by somebody at least 18 years old.
“We are so thankful for this creative and fun opportunity to engage more people in the fight against hunger in Central Florida,” said Veronica Mucha, events specialist at Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida. “Every purchase will help provide 8 nutritious meals –and hope!– to a family, child, or senior in our community facing hunger.”
Hunt Details
- HoundsHouse Orlando is available now on Amazon.
- The book costs between $9.99 and $14.99 depending on the format.
- The hunt is active until somebody finds the grand prize or until midnight on June 30th, 2024, whichever comes first.
