Small businesses are the heart of our communities — they sponsor our little league and provide the perfect place for first dates. When we think ‘local’, it’s these businesses that give the word meaning. 

refine+focus wants to honor Boston area small businesses’ unwavering commitment to community and creativity by celebrating how they are supporting us during these difficult times.

The Neighborhood Aid Network is dedicated to creating local mutual aid networks. They help neighborhood digital platforms aggregate and standardize their processes, and they also provide training and support for their network of volunteers.

Penguin Pizza started the initiative Feeding the Frontline, which partners with restaurants to ensure food security for both healthcare workers and vulnerable communities.

Plummer Youth Promise, a home for children in foster care, held their annual Community Action Day over Zoom. They created care packages and handmade masks to be delivered to the Chelsea Jewish Lifecare nursing home.

The Stitch House, a yarn store run by Boston City Councilor Annissa Essaibi George, started the Boston Area Mask Initiative and has made over 4,000 masks in response to the Governor’s order for citizens to wear masks in public.

Wake Up Water, a new Boston based water company, has donated 600 cases of water to the Greater Boston Food Bank. Their mission is to “help everyone live a healthy, energized life.”

Anoush’ella, a Boston-based Armenian-Lebanese restaurant, is donating 60 free meals everyday to healthcare workers or individuals who have been put out of work due COVID-19.

Small businesses are always praised for their dedication to community, but it is in moments of need that this commitment truly shines. We appreciate the creative and generous ways that Boston area businesses are supporting our communities and we thank them for their support. 

Is there a local small business doing great things in your community? Hit reply and tell us about their story.

P.S. Is your high school student ambitious, focused on STEM, business or startups? Check out TYE’s New England real-world entrepreneurship program & give them an advantage applying to colleges. Virtual open house 5/16 & 5/30.