Community Spirit of Support Alive & Well Here

Over the course of the past weeks, our worlds have been collectively turned upside down by the spread of COVID-19 and regulations to slow the spread. Our community that has a long history of pulling together in times of great need now has an opportunity to respond to an unprecedented challenge in an extraordinary way.

Our local businesses have never faced the sort of threat that they do now. There is no playbook for surviving a pandemic and they are working incredibly hard to do just that: survive. Each and every business owner is working hard to find innovative ways to support our community while simultaneously fighting to stay in business and support their employees both now and when doors reopen. Our business owners are resilient individuals and have not backed down from the challenge.

Our local stores and restaurants are finding new ways to distribute products to customers in a safe and responsible way. Restaurants who have never offered delivery are now delivering, grocery stores are making sure that each and every customer is protected from risk, and retail stores that are temporarily closed are finding new ways to engage with customers. I am in constant awe of the ingenuity of our business community.

Despite all of the challenges that they face, I have had numerous business owners ask about how they or the employees they are able to keep on payroll can volunteer their time and resources. Think about that for a moment: At a time when they are fighting to survive, our business community is still thinking of helping others.

This is what makes Sherburne County and the Elk River and Otsego area an amazing place; we look out for one another and we work through challenging times together.

The Elk River Area Chamber of Commerce has supported businesses in our community for over 50 years. Right now we are supporting local businesses by:

— Promoting their business as open and how customers can access them via our Hot Deals on the chamber’s website and Facebook page.

— Advocating with local and state level officials about the grassroots needs of business and how the impact of shutdowns are affecting and will continue to impact our local economy and businesses. We are looking out for recovery efforts that will make a real impact.

— Connecting people to each other with virtual meetings and programs that provide avenues to solutions. Our weekly networking group is going strong with 20+ people online weekly and our board of directors, ambassadors and other committees are also staying connected. This is vitally important for recovery efforts to be effective.

— Educating about public sector financial resources that are available and how to navigate them.

We have a few ideas on how you too can help us with our mission of energizing local business:

— Promote local: Like and follow the Elk River Area Chamber of Commerce on Facebook to promote your favorite places. We even have a Facebook group where you can see immediate updates from local businesses. Purchase a gift card to use at a later date and frequent local restaurants and stores as much as possible. Tip your service providers. This will help their business with cash flow so that they can continue to pay their bills and employees and have cash needed to open their doors when this is over.

— Advocate for and engage online with your favorite business by helping to spread their updates to operations. If you personally know a business owner, point them in the direction of our website to seek out resources that are available to them.

— Connect with your friends, family and neighbors about all the great local places you are discovering, whether it’s a new park you’ve discovered or a new restaurant you found.

—Educate yourself on facts and beware of scams. Sadly some will take advantage of this situation. Know that local resources are often the best, especially now, because they live here and will be here after the crisis passes. Follow the guidelines from the CDC and other trusted resources and learn new ways of supporting those you love.

Despite all of the changes to our daily life, the Elk River spirit of supporting our friends and neighbors is alive and well. Thank you to each and every resident who continues to support our businesses. Let’s keep up the great work because we are stronger together!

Note: This letter was originally posted by Hometown Source. See the article here.