“We did this originally to highlight our member restaurants and other establishments that had to close, but were still able to serve their customers through takeout, curbside, and other options like that,” said MetroNorth Chamber of Commerce president Lori Higgins. “We put together a list of all our members, we sent it out one Friday afternoon on that Facebook page and by Sunday afternoon it had received over 20,000 views.”
After seeing that, it was clear that there was a desire and a need to share this information, so they opened it up to every business, regardless of chamber membership.
It’s also being used as a way to share needs and volunteer opportunities. At the same time, the chamber is also busy supporting businesses in less seen ways. This week, the chamber sent a letter to the governor to encourage the delay of the May 15 business property tax deadline.
Higgins is preparing for this to bring changes to the chamber and to local businesses for many months to come.
“We know business won’t be usual for a long time, that what’s happening now is now just short term, but there will be a long-term recovery plan that we will be putting together and working with our businesses on,” said Higgins.
The Chamber of Commerce has a Google form available to all businesses to share information. The Chamber is continuing to host networking and business meetings, but all of them have been moved online for the time being.
