How to help Centre County businesses during Pennsylvania’s COVID-19 shutdown
Last week, Ellen Matis left reviews, ordered takeout and got curbside pickup from local restaurants.
While shops have shuttered their doors, Matis, the founder of Bellefonte-based social media company Hello Social Co. and board president of Downtown Bellefonte Inc., is challenging Centre County residents to find creative ways to support area businesses during Gov. Tom Wolf’s statewide shutdown.
Last week, Hello Social launched its Focus on Local Challenge — an initiative that’s encouraging residents to find one way to support businesses in their community each day. Participants are asked to share their efforts on social media with the tag, #FocusonLocalChallenge. The winner will be awarded a $100 gift card to any locally owned business in the United States.
“Right now, small businesses across the nation are worried,” Hello Social posted on Facebook. “They are scared that they’ll have to lay off employees. They are scared that they don’t know when they can open their doors. They need our support now more than ever.”
While restaurants have been required by the governor to close their dining rooms, residents can still find ways to support businesses by purchasing gift cards, ordering online for takeout or delivery, shopping online or over the phone, Mattis wrote on DowntownBellefonteInc.com.
Downtown Bellefonte Inc. also has a list of all its establishments with links to their social media sites on its website, while the Downtown State College Improvement District has a spreadsheet of available takeout and delivery options.
The Downtown Improvement District has a list of State College-area businesses that are offering gift cards.
Members of the service industry in State College organized a spreadsheet and “virtual tip jar” where community members are invited to tip what they can to local workers.
“Like everywhere else in Pennsylvania, all bars, restaurants and other nonessential businesses in State College have been mandated to close,” a note on the virtual tip jar webpage reads. “Many of our friends and neighbors depend on tips to make ends meet. The virtual tip jar for local service industry staff — employees at bars, restaurants, salons — to post their Venmo or Paypal information so that customers, neighbors, State College community members and Penn State alumni can tip their favorite bar and restaurant staff even when they can’t see them in person.”
The Centre Daily Times also keeps an up-to-date list of local takeout and delivery options on its website. To add or change anything on that list, email cdtnewstips@centredaily.com.
This story was originally published March 23, 2020 at 3:12 PM.
