Torchbearers Step Up To Assist Community During Public Health Crisis

As the impact of the COVID-19 (aka Coronavirus) pandemic continues to evolve and transform our everyday lives, we’ve seen our local artists, musicians, businesses, and entrepreneurs suffer. With the cancellation of many community events and the motions for social distancing, these organizations have seen a sudden decline in demand for their services.

In an effort to help these local businesses, Torchbearers Byron and Kirsten Delpinal created SupportLocalAkron.com. The site gives Local Akron businesses a platform to showcase all the great products and services they still have to offer so that we can continue to support them in these uncertain times.

Since launching Support Local Akron on March 14, the site has accumulated 86 local businesses (as of April 10) from all different arenas, including Activity, Food & Drink, Handcrafted, Retail, and Service. When submitting their information, the site gives each businesses a space to tell their story and tell us how we can support them during this unprecedented time. For many businesses, especially restaurants that have been forced to close their dining rooms, this means telling us about new ways they are selling their products/services online.