By Makenna Adams
Forced to shut down and at a loss of steady stream of customers, local businesses have suffered due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Local businesses are integral parts of the economy: they employ members of the communities in which they operate, and they constantly contribute to growth in society by offering new and unique services, products, and ideas. The people that run small businesses are our neighbors and friends. They are a huge part of what distinguishes our towns and makes them unique.
As community members, we share the responsibility of helping local restaurants, shops, and services. If you can, financially and physically, please consider one of the following actions which will lend a hand to local businesses and help make a difference.
Support a local restaurant by ordering from their delivery or pick-up menu. Simple, but effective. Who doesn’t love good food?
Look into the ways in which you can help specialty stores, like florists or book stores, by visiting their website. Most small businesses have already outlined on their websites how you can support them. For example, the Recycle Book Store, which has operated for the past 50 years in downtown Campbell, needs help financially. If you are able to, you can donate to their GoFundMe, purchase a gift certificate for credit on future purchases, or continue to donate books. Learn more here: http://recyclebookstore.com/how_to_help_us
If you go into a storefront, please consider giving service workers a tip larger than maybe you usually would. For many service workers, tips are their biggest source of income at the moment, and they need your generosity perhaps more than anyone right now.
On social media, shout out a local company that could use a little extra love. You can post-delivery menus of your favorite restaurant or the opening hours of your favorite shop.