Help Service Workers and Businesses During Covid-19

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We are living in crazy times. We have a pandemic that needs containing to protect our elderly and those with underlying conditions. To do that, we have to partake in social-distancing and avoid gathering with friends in public places such as bars and restaurants.

This is extremely difficult. For me, the neighborhood pub is probably my favorite place in the world after my home and Citizens Bank Park on a beautiful June evening. However, for the benefit of our society as a whole, scientists and experts say this is most effective. The federal government may even make it mandatory with a national quarantine such as in Italy.

Whether the social-distancing happens voluntarily or by a government mandate, this is going to have a devastating impact on our local economy, particularly the service industry. Many of my friends work in the service industry. Bartenders, servers, dogwalkers, baristas, and the like will all lose chunks or most of their income with a quarantine or social-distancing.

How can we help?

We can continue to support these folks as if we were still going out or using their services.

I have a crazy dog that needs dog daycare twice a week or he’s a complete maniac. If you’re working at home and decide to not use a service like dog daycare, please continue to pay as if you were still using them. If they shut down all non-essential businesses, I plan to still pay as if he was going.

If you have a favorite bartender or server and are able, please Venmo/CashApp/Paypal them any tip money you would’ve given them had you visited under normal circumstances. You’re not going out as much so you would probably still come out ahead.

My buddies, Johnny Goodtimes and Johnny Q host Quizzo around town. There are folks who host karaoke. If entertainers such as this can find ways to do what they do online, please support them. They most likely also have no income coming in. I hear there might actually be an online Quizzo coming to help keep us sane while stuck in the house. Follow Johnny for info.

You can also buy gift certificates to your favorite establishments to use once this all passes so the impact isn’t crushing. I think bars, restaurants, clubs, coffee shops, etc. could all set up GoFundMe pages that would allow their patrons to offer whatever support they can afford to assist their favorite establishments in paying their staff, bills, rent, utilities, taxes.

We are all in this one together. Philly is a great community and we need to look after one another as best we can. Unfortunately, that does mean taking prudent precautions to slow down the rate of COVID-19 infections. We don’t, however, have to allow it to financially wreck people and businesses we know and love. Together we can get through this.