As you know, many local businesses have had to close their doors for a while due to the Safety in Place order. Our hearts go out to those businesses, and hope they have a smooth transition eventually coming back.
Below you will find a list of things you can do to support your local businesses while staying safe. We at ValpoNEXT view this unfortunate time as a great way for the community to band together to protect its own, and to be the most civically engaged it has ever been!
Take the time to look through how to become civically engaged and support a local business today! The information we have provided is specific to Valparaiso, and includes links to helpful sites you can utilize.
6 Ways to Show Your Support of Our Local Businesses:
1. Ordering Food Online for Pick-Up/Delivery
This one is a little obvious, but we wanted to draw your attention to a couple great resources!
https://valparaisoevents.com/food/carryout-restaurant-directory/
This link will take you to a full list of restaurants and food/drink shops of all kinds that are still open for carry out and/or delivery. This list includes websites and facebook page links where applicable, so you have ease of access to each business' information.
This link will take you to a site that one of our very own board members has created on his own time! It is a very helpful and understandable site that gives you all you need to know about the restauarants in Valpo, and even breaks them down by area!
We are proud to see so many restaurants and shops in Valpo for adapting so quickly to the current lifestyle we have all had to adopt, and we love to see how long this list is!
2. Shopping Online
The Valparaiso Events website also has a list of local stores that are selling online and offering pick-up and/or delivery. This list is shorter than the restaurant list, but still worth looking at!
https://valparaisoevents.com/shopping/shopping-online-curbside-pickup/
It is incredible that stores are able to adapt to this situation and offer avenues for the community to support them, so we encourage you to make their efforts worthwhile and check out this list!
3. Purchase Gift Cards and/or Gift Certificates Online
Are you someone that loves Valpo restaurants and local shops for the experiences they offer? We absolutely understand that. Getting to sit in a Valpo restaurant and have a great meal, or walking around downtown and going from shop to shop? An inexplicable joy.
Well, why not purchase yourself or your loved ones a gift card or gift certificate to those places you love? You'll be supporting the local businesses right now, and guaranteeing yourself a great time in the future when we are once again able to. It's a win-win situation in our opinion! Check out the websites of your local favorites to see if they are offering virtual gift cards or gift certificates and purchase one (or more!!) today!
4. Use Social Media for Good: Draw Attention to Local Business
Social media seems to be saturated in negativity surrounding the current world events, and we need more positivity!! Why not use your social media accounts for good and support your local businesses with a few simple clicks?
Any time you purchase something from a local business, post about it! Tag that business and give them some exposure that they could benefit from.
See something cool that local business is doing? Share it on your account on in a group you're in! Taking the time to show your support of local business will not only lift spirits of the people seeing your posts, but will also give those businesses some great attention that could help them draw in business during this difficult time.
Another great way to use your social media account to support local business is to start small fundraisers for nonprofits in the area that are unable to stay open, or are just generally in need during this time! This is an easy way to get others civically engaged and doing some good as well!
Using social media to draw attention is probably one of the easiest things we can do for local businesses, so we say go for it!!
5. Donate to Local Museums/Theatres/Nonprofits
We have so many amazing nonprofits in Valparaiso, but, unfortunately, an overwhelming number has had to close their doors during this time, which means many have virtually no way of bringing in funds.
The great thing? We have the ability to donate to these nonprofits, theatres, museums, etc. Below we have linked some ways to find websites for those companies/organizations in Valparaiso that could use your help, so go ahead and check them out!
Community Organizations: https://www.ci.valparaiso.in.us/194/Community-Organizations
Nonprofits: https://greatnonprofits.org/city/valparaiso/IN
Museums: https://www.google.com/maps/search/museums/@41.4640428,-87.0582538,15z
Theatres: https://www.google.com/maps/search/theaters/@41.4679927,-87.06761,15z
Porter County Animal Shelter: http://in-portercountyanimalshelter.civicplus.com/178/Donate
These links are not the only way to look into these organizations, but they are a good place to start! If you have any suggestions for links to reference lists, please send them to us (email emily@valponext.org)!
6. Check Out Virtual Experiences
This one is a fun one!! All around the world, so many organizations are going virtual. Here in Valpo, we have a few organizations doing so as well!
We highly encourage you to see if you can find virtual experiences with any of the local classes you or your children may take, and take part in the experience! Not only does it keep you busy and engaged, but it also supports that local business that is trying its hardest to keep serving the community.
Ways to help even further? Subscribe when able and make sure you engage in those types of experiences by liking and commenting when available. These types of engagements will help that local business to be able to reach more people and helps them to know that their hard work is being appreciated!
OH, and share share share!!!!!
Something for you and your kids to participate in: The YMCA has gone virtual!
https://www.facebook.com/pg/ValparaisoFamilyYMCA/posts/?ref=page_internal
Follow this link to see how you and your family can get involved!
Do you know of any other classes that have gone online? Please let us know so we can share about them!
