How 5 local businesses are stepping up to support their communities during the protests and pandemic

• Businesses around the country have had to swiftly pivot during the pandemic and protests.
• Some local businesses have stepped up to fill community need — from supplies to groceries — and have been able to retain workers.
• And businesses like Neighborhood Provisions, which is a collective of restaurants selling goods in DC, said they'll be sticking around post-pandemic.

Across the United States hotels, restaurants, and shops have recently pivoted from traditional business operations to offer their patrons essential items such as toilet paper and fresh groceries.

While neighborhood stores have been closed, or temporarily limited their hours of operation due to city-wide curfews, local businesses have volunteered time, money, and effort to collect donations, distribute essentials, and offer a way for the community to have safe access to food and necessities in the midst of these unprecedented times.

Here's how these businesses have stepped up to contribute to their local communities during the pandemic and protests.

FINNEGANS Brew Co, Minneapolis, MN

This Minneapolis-based brewing company was originally the first beer company to donate 100% of their profits to charities fighting hunger, and has been wholeheartedly committed to this "barstool philanthropy" policy for over 20 years. In fact, by the end of 2020, the business will have donated over two million dollars to fighting hunger.

This week the brewery partnered up with local organization Model Cities for a food drive to gather together more than 250 donated bags of food and supplies to support some of the hardest hit neighborhoods across the city of St. Paul, with their "reverse food truck" program — which acts as a "food drive on wheels" to collect donations and transport essentials to Minneapolis communities in need. The FINNEGANS team will continue to collect food and supplies to support the downtown Elliot Park neighborhood when their outdoor patio officially opens back up next week, after being closed for months due to the pandemic.

Lat14, Golden Valley, MN

Ann Ahmed — the owner and executive chef of Lat14 — and her team have been working in solidarity with the community of Golden Valley Minnesota, by cooking up hundreds of hot meals onsite for those who have been impacted by the protests. Lat14 is also acting as a donation drop-off site from 12 p.m-8 p.m. daily, to gather essential items such as bottled water, baby wipes, diapers, toothpaste, and shampoo to give to local shelters and churches for distribution.

Bar Biscay, Chicago, IL

Bar Biscay is normally a bustling restaurant in Chicago's West Town neighborhood, but recently pivoted to become "Bodega Biscay"— the neighborhood's stop for basic needs and essentials such as produce, dairy, proteins, dry goods, wine, beer, cocktail kits, and soda. The shop also offers a variety of household items including laundry detergent, shampoo and hand sanitizer.

Here, the local community can both support a small business, and ensure that they're able to buy their essential goods in one place. Buyers have the opportunity to pick up their items instantly onsite rather than having to wait for them to be delivered.

"Everything is still up in the air, but we'd like to keep this retail aspect going, then slowly add the restaurant back to it over time," Scott Worsham, co-owner of Bar Biscay said of the new provisions program.

By organizing their own delivery service, the Bar Biscay team was able to hire back staff who were previously laid off.

Neighborhood Provisions by Neighborhood Restaurant Group (Virginia, Maryland, New York and DC)

Neighborhood Provisions was created in response to restaurant closures due to the pandemic, by a longstanding collective of restaurants known as the Neighborhood Restaurant Group.

Neighborhood Provisions originally began with the purpose of acting as a "one-stop shop" delivery service for food, beer, wine, spirits, and pantry essentials, and has since evolved to offer a wide selection of groceries which are delivered safely to each individual customer's door in the Virginia and DC areas. Shoppers don't have to worry about finding somewhere to go grocery shopping in-person while stores are closed or offering limited hours due to local protests and curfews.

This initiative won't be going anywhere once normal business operations resume, as it has grown to become a successful way of serving the local community and areas of DC that offer very few grocery stores.

Weber's Boutique Hotel & Restaurant, Ann Arbor, MI

Weber's Boutique Hotel & Restaurant originally began offering their grocery service following the pandemic shutdown. It wanted to distribute its large inventory of food — which was originally supposed to be served to guests — before it spoiled.

The hotel's online order and curbside pickup operation grew to become a thriving program, which continues to serve the local area and gives locals a safe and socially distant method to buy groceries. The hospitality industry has been hit particularly hard due to the pandemic, and the grocery operation has generated jobs for the property's over 200 employees, and provided staff members with a consistent source of complimentary meals.