By now it is likely that many of you have started receiving stimulus checks being issued as a way to increase economic support during COVID-19. At the same time, many of our small businesses are struggling. Some of them have been shut down completely, others have components of their businesses available but all of them are in the same boat and have been negatively impacted by this virus. As you receive your stimulus check, whether this week or next, next month or after, I would encourage each of us as Grinnellians to consider how that money has the ability to generate positive waves in our community. If each of you reading this note took just 5% (which may amount to more for some folks than others) of what you receive and spend it with a local business to support them or one of the ideas mentioned below, that would equate to nearly $300,000 to our Grinnell community! Will this make them whole? Of course not, but it may be the ticket to keep them from having to close their doors post-pandemic.
You can support many businesses through the Grinnell Gift Card program(purchase a gift card now to spend later!), or by making a donation to the Grinnell Small Business Relief Fund, a program our office is administering to aid Grinnell businesses in the form of small grants. If you're still not sure of the best way to support a local business, we encourage you to reach out and ask them directly!
Additionally, there are a number of efforts underway to support fellow community members and nonprofit organizations including the Grinnell Food Coalition and the Nonprofit Emergency Relief Fund. These two collaborative efforts are raising dollars to support individuals who may be experiencing hunger through food vouchers to be spent at area grocery stores and raising dollars to help support the nonprofit organizations that have, or are likely to have, challenges as a result of COVID, respectively.
Please consider the various ways you can stimulate our local economy and support our neighbors in the process. And when you do, please share it via social using #GRINNtogether while tagging the Chamber so we can help spread the positive community collaborations occurring on a daily basis.
--Rachael Kinnick
p.s. You can also play Grinnell BINGO while you pass your days. Download this game to find creative ways to help support and uplift our community!
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