While many businesses have laid off workers or even closed their doors, others are working tirelessly to show the San Diego community love. From delivering community-supported agriculture (CSA) boxes to making and donating masks, local business owners are doing what they can to make ends meet and be there for their neighbors.
As a San Diego-based business, we at HNM wanted to spotlight the good work our local businesses are doing.
Delivering Yummies
So many of our favorite bars and restaurants have shut down, leaving us hungry for our neighborhood favorites and go to’s. Just when cooking at home starts to taste the same, we’re left longing for local restaurant dishes and special ingredients. As we try to change up our cooking repertoire, grocery shopping has become more challenging, and for many people, adventuring outside is no longer a possibility.
Whether you need to find eggs or desperately sought-after toilet paper, however, options for ordering goods from home are popping up daily, and local businesses are making it happen.
The Eater recently published reviews on 28 local restaurants that have pivoted and now sell basic food staples and pantry items. Many take pre-orders and provide delivery options. Others have created premade options for an easy restaurant-style dinner to make at home (goodbye to the same taste). With social distancing dampening the norm and so many of our beloved eateries unavailable for a night out, a night in is the next best thing for many.
Keeping It Fresh
If you need fresh fare right off the farm, other options are available to you as well. Local farmers who typically sell at Farmers Markets are now preparing and delivering their own CSA boxes to families at home. Yasukochi Family Farm in Oceanside, California is selling a typical CSA box filled with fresh fruits and veggies for $20 and a jumbo box for $30. They’re also taking payment through no touch online options. Or, if you don’t want to cook but need your pizza fix like me, Pandemic Pizza is curating fresh Italian recipes daily. Two couples, whose weddings are now on hold, have combined their pizza passion to feed first responders and hospital workers across the county.
Transforming the Factory
And it’s not just about food, although we do love food. Businesses within our community are getting crafty with materials they already have to protect our well-being. Rais Case, a handmade leather company based out of Oceanside, is selling eco-cotton masks both to keep their workers employed and to support community safety. Allet, a National City-based wallet company, is running a buy two-give two program called “Give Thousands of Masks” and has completely transformed their wallet factory into a mask making machine.
Leading by Example
HNM understands the importance of leading by doing. As a staffing agency in the Information Communication Technology space, we have a number of contractors who qualify as essential workers and thus continue to work in the field. To make sure they are SAFE, feel loved and stay sanitary, we shipped each of our field workers a care package that included specialty hand soap, ground coffee, and multiple pairs of work gloves.
HNM’s Customer Success Managers also reached out to their networks on Linkedin offering free virtual “office hours” for anyone seeking job advice or tips on working remotely. A number of individuals connected with the CSMs, allowing HNM’s impact to extend beyond its own employee base.
While it’s evident that local pride and ingenuity are at play, the willingness of others to support during this challenging and uncertain time is uplifting and indeed gives pause for the camaraderie we are finding in our communities. At a time when it is easy to fall into a negative line of thought and wallow in the changes, let’s not forget about the partnership, connection, and renewed focus we’ve had to support one another and be human. Now go out there and support our local businesses! I know I’m very much looking forward to my new mask, my fresh veggies, and sharing my love of pizza.
Do you know anyone on the front lines — perhaps a first responder, health care worker, or grocery store clerk — who needs a mask? Email us and HNM will purchase them an Allett mask on your behalf.