updates from behind the scenes of our HQ…
our founder and ceo molly has been hard at work, diving head first into small business advocacy and relief efforts for our city and community members struggling amid the effects of COVID-19. our primary concern has been the health and safety of our employees and our community and we've taken all measures possible to make sure our mooncrew and customers are safe. we are also very concerned about the vitality of our small business community that employs hundreds of thousands of workers in our city.
as soon as we began to realize the effects this pandemic was having on our small business community, we knew we had to use all of our strength as a company to galvanize support for small businesses. molly rallied business owners to co-sign and send a memo to city, county and state officials suggesting ways the government could help small businesses weather the storm. among the suggestions were: increasing access to unemployment benefits, encouraging landlords to defer or amortize rent, deferral of business tax payments and utility payments and expansion of small business loan assistance. the Governor’s office and Mayor's office have since announced action on many of these items, but much more is needed as we see the impact growing day by day.
last week molly joined the Mayor's COVID-19 Small Business Recovery Task Force to advocate on behalf of small businesses and what they need in this time of crisis. we understand that social distancing is a necessary measure needed to slow the spread of this epidemic and the long-term effects of reducing social contact can mean a direct reduction in infections and death of members of our community. with health concerns high, fewer people are going out to eat and shop, which means small businesses and restaurants, in particular, are losing sales as a result of this social distancing.
these lost sales have already resulted in the closure of some small businesses and many are beginning to lay off employees. we are doing everything we can to help ensure our community gets the support it needs right now. we are advocating for larger efforts and more aid for small businesses and our workers from the government and will keep organizing and fighting until this happens. molly has been mobilizing business owners to share their stories and has been speaking to local and national press so that lawmakers - especially those in DC will see the effects of this crisis and take action.
in the meantime here are actions you can take right now to help your small business community get through this tough time:
1. if you’re not feeling well, stay home and take care of yourself.
2. if you are able, patronize local businesses. Restaurants are taking special precautions right now to ensure they are safe, sanitary and have a healthy workforce. Seattle has mandatory sick and safe leave which means employees have paid time off to stay home and recover if they are sick.
3. order pickup or delivery from your local restaurants. Many have joined delivery services over the last couple of weeks. Several delivery services have implemented no-contact deliveries, meaning your food can be left at your door.
4. order branded merchandise and gift cards from your favorite shops and restaurants as gifts or to use later.
5. shout out your favorite small businesses on social media.
6. write your local, state and federal legislators about the importance of monetary aid and policy support for small businesses.