The holiday season is fast approaching. Not surprisingly, COVID numbers are rising. It makes for a new twist on a much-loved charitable time. This time is symbolized by gift-giving and socializing. As the news is telling us, we need to take a moment to rethink this. Thankfully many of us have learned to use ZOOM and FACETIME to keep in touch with our loved ones. So, we now socialize with each other online or socially distanced at a park or parking lot.
However, our ideas of charity and gift-giving need to be reframed to consider our struggling local businesses that are having such a hard time this year. Enough of the big box stores like Walmart, Costco, and other such multinationals which raked in record profits. For example, the three Walton’s, heirs to Walmart made 35.7 million increasing their net worth by approx. 22% during the crisis and gave back less than .01% of that gain to the pandemic crisis relief as stated in a Yahoo article.
Charity starts at Home
Let’s show our giving and charity to those community businesses that need our support during this holiday season. They need to pay the rent, employ their workers and basically stay afloat. These Changemakers are trying to create change from the bottom up. Sometimes, it is about changing their children’s lives for the better. Sometimes, it is about creating incremental change. These are the unsung heroes in our community who are wanting to make a small difference for themselves and their families.
Symbolically, this whole scenario reminds me of the story, A Christmas Carol. We see Scrooge, alone in his household, crouched over intensely counting his fortunes. Meanwhile, Bob Cratchit is barely piecing together a meager amount of income to take time off with his family during the holidays. At the same time, Cratchit tries to do his best to take care of his physically challenged son, Tiny Tim. So try imagining these mega-corps as Scrooge and our local businesses as Bob Cratchit. This may help you to rethink how you want to show your gift-giving to others.
Here is a WIKI compilation outlining local links listing local businesses from across Canada.
BUY LOCAL and SHOW YOU CARE ABOUT YOUR COMMUNITY!!!
Here are some tips put up by Vancouver Best Places article “BC Buy Local Week in Vancouver” posted on November 30th. Also the main feature on BC Buy Local Website. They are celebrating Buy Local Week from November 30-December 6th.
BC Buy Local Week’s Seven Ways for Seven Days
BC Buy Local Week lists seven ways to support local businesses on its website. The seven things you can do to help include the following:
- Buy Local Online (instead of doing all your online shopping with giant corporations like Amazon or major big box stores)
- Shop in Store (because it’s fun, you can try things on, and doing so saves on unnecessary shipping and packaging; keeping in mind masks are mandatory right now)
- Promote and Share (by telling your friends about your support of buying local and using the hashtag #BCBuyLocal in your social media posts)
- Support your Community (by shopping at bricks and mortar stores near your home wearing a mask)
- Put Local on your Table (by using locally grown ingredients in your cooking and treating yourself to take out meals from locally-owned restaurants)
- Buy Local Made (by buying products that are made in the Lower Mainland or BC, or at the very least somewhere in Canada)
- Buy Local Gift Cards (instead of buying gift cards from big box stores and multinational corporations, buy them from your local coffee shop, restaurant or small independently owned retail store)