With the uncertainty of the world right now, sparks efforts happening here in the community that provide hope, support and comfort during these trying times. There is much to do from our homes to partner with these companies and give back while staying hyper local.
Modern Market
Last week the eatery rolled out grocery boxes and a la carte grocery and prepared food items for online ordering to all of its currently open markets, including Arizona.
ProtectAZ
In response to the novel Coronavirus, a new nonprofit, ProtectAZ was founded to bring crucial medical supplies to our frontline personnel and the groups and organizations in our community that serve the most at risk. Organized and launched by local doctors and likeminded businessmen, the fully volunteer-based organization was created to raise private funds to locate, procure and distribute medical supplies in Arizona at an accelerated pace to meet today’s demands.
Wildflower
Wildflower Bread Company has donated over 500 N95 masks to local hospitals to aid the hospitals that are currently in need. Wildflower realized that they had a surplus and could help as their bakers use the N95 mask in their production process.
WILDFLOWERBREAD.com
State Forty-Eight
State Forty-Eight was born out of a shared passion and appreciation for the great state of Arizona. More than just an apparel line, State Forty-Eight represents a lifestyle, a sense of community and is an expression of pride. This commitment has only grown stronger during these chaotic times. They’ve now created a comfortable T-shirt to support our community during COVID-19. With the local businesses in mind, and as well as creating accessible food options for their neighbors, 50% of proceeds from each shirt will benefit Local First Arizona and Matthews Crossing Food Bank.
STATEFORTYEIGHT.com
FABRIC
FABRIC Tempe is making a huge contribution by manufacturing thousands of FDA reusable isolation and barrier gowns for major healthcare facilities throughout the state. Last week, the Arizona National Guard was called in to fly nearly 7,000 pounds of highly coveted material from North Carolina to Arizona to expedite its delivery. The materials were sourced by FABRIC and provided by Precision Fabrics Group, a leading US-based manufacturer of woven and non-woven protective fabrics for multiple industries, including the healthcare workforce. This reusable isolation gown fabric can withstand more than 100 washes making it a more sustainable choice than disposable gowns. These reusable gowns will also provide more protection to health care workers than the commonly used disposable gowns.
FABRICTEMPE.com
LeadMD and Invest Southwest
LeadMD and Invest Southwest have joined forces to spearhead a small business relief fund in Arizona. Created in response to COVID-19, the relief fund aims to provide financial support to small businesses and those they employ in order to preserve the local economy during this challenging time. LeadMD and Invest Southwest have partnered together in this initiative, complementing one another with their expertise in marketing and entrepreneurial programs, respectively. LeadMD will seed the fund with an initial investment of $50,000 to launch the program and set a precedent for other AZ businesses to give back. A committee that will consist of local leaders and Invest Southwest board members will review all applications submitted by small businesses and determine how much of the relief fund will be allocated to each.
INVESTSOUTHWEST.org
Tyler Butler’s work as a corporate social responsibility practitioner is world renowned as she has created and led global giving programs for many global Fortune 500 companies. Her firm, 11Eleven Consulting, has continued this tradition of activating efforts to better society through their work with a plethora of international companies.
Founder of Wildflower Louis Basile shares his sentiment, “Helping the local community has always been a part of our culture. We are doing our part to help with the limited hospital supplies to keep our front-line health care nurses and doctors healthy. We are all in this together."