By Sean Copeland
BLOOMINGTON – Several local business owners came together Thursday afternoon at the Hy-Vee grocery store in Bloomington to donate to Hurricane Relief in Texas and Florida.
The group regularly gets together weekly to discuss national and local government politics, local economic trends, and involvement in collective projects to benefit the area. Chris Hubbard co-owner of Cheeks said there’s a sense of friendly competition in Bloomington.
“Figure out ways to compete in a community that’s so hard to compete with huge names, and so the small businesses have to get together and group together and figure out how we can do things collectively,” said Hubbard.
The group includes restaurateurs, bar owners, landscapers, bankers and more. Aaron Halliday, owner of Checker and Yellow Cabs said even though this makes a difference, for the victims in Florida and Texas its still a long road ahead…
“We’re just a group of guys, we have good hearts; and just because the hurricanes are over doesn’t mean the hurting is over,” said Halliday.
Carts were filled to the brim with paper towels, water, toilet paper, cleaning supplies, and every kind of food item you can imagine. But in their minds these business owners say it’s their duty to help when they can, especially when it comes to their community.
“We try our best to always give back and its our community that allows us to stay open and do business,” said Hubbard. “As far as realtors, landscapers, restaurant owners, bar owners, health instructors, anything, its our community who gives to us.”
In their shopping conquest, the ‘Thursday Rootbeer’ group spent just over $1,700 on groceries for those affected by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma with an additional $500 donated to the Midwest Food Bank of Normal. Additionally, Hy-Vee has agreed to match sales made for hurricane relief up to $100,000 with customers being asked on their way out if they’d like to donate anywhere from a dollar to five dollars to the American Red Cross. But Hubbard said in this case, anyone can make a difference.
“It was spur of the moment, but I think that’s what we’re trying to prove to a lot of people. Small business; when you put your minds together, you can accomplish a lot and you can do it really fast,” said Hubbard.
Sean Copeland can be reached at [email protected].
