I keep hearing that in order to help local businesses it is important for us to continue purchasing things from them during this time of the pandemic. I agree with that idea. However, but I began to worry about those businesses (and their employees) that don’t sell products, but instead provide services. Many of those businesses are in an even greater problem than those that provide products (such as restaurants). In many cases the services can’t be provided because they require violation of “social distancing” requirements, or aren’t requested because they are easy to avoid for the time being. How are those businesses going to survive? As I looked around I found that there are some people (such as my wife) that have searched out the people providing these services and are paying them as if they were getting the service. This is not a financial transaction, and it isn’t exactly “charity” – it is acting on the realization that maintaining these local businesses is critical to our well being and the health of the community. If they don’t make enough money to stay in business, they will go elsewhere and that will be a loss for everyone.

We had hoped that the federal and state governments would step up and provide enough assistance to keep them afloat, and to allow them to keep their employees on the payroll – even though there is no job to do during the pandemic. However, while some efforts along those lines have been made – they are generally too little and too late. Our governments don’t seem to have the ability (or desire) to help with this kind of “safety bridge”. So what do we do to help? Many people are donating and assisting with things for the out-of-work folks in terms of food closets, temporary shelters, and emergency support. However, there is almost no support for those small businesses that are going broke and being put out of business because insufficient, or no, customer income. I know I could look up the people I normally do business with – but that would be very awkward, and since it is likely just me, ineffective. They need more than my normal $10 a week (or whatever) business, they need a lot of people like me.

Is there some way that we can pool our assistance for these kinds of businesses? Is it feasible to have a central fund that I could send a contribution similar to my normal “donations” (things that I purchase locally rather than on Amazon)? This doesn’t have to be forever, just until we get through this period of great need. If we do it, those folks can maintain their businesses and lifestyles (food, mortgages, gas money, utilities, etc) – and will be here when we need them after the storm passes. If not, then they will lose their homes, their livelihoods, their investments, and we will lose their businesses that are so important to all of us in our communities. If we don’t somehow find a way to help them in big ways it is going to be a lose, lose, lose, lose situation. If we can find ways to help them get through it, then it is as many (or more) wins.

I think the need is clear and obvious. Now we just need to find a way to get it done – as a community helping our community.