Alone, Together
During these unprecedented times it is easy to succumb to feelings of anxiety and fear, and to be overwhelmed by a sense of foreboding and negativity. And why not? The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the lives of every individual in the world, as it upends normal personal and professional relationships, and disrupts economic, workplace — and particularly relevant to TwentyTables — educational activities. Over the past two months, I’ve seen both the immense challenges small businesses face as well as the unique role they can play in uplifting the communities around them.
Businesses of all sizes, and business owners in every corner of the world, face immense and at times seemingly insurmountable challenges — from shuttering storefronts for the safety of staff and patrons, to laying off valued employees, to facing existential questions around continued operations post-COVID. Small businesses in particular — with shoe-string budgets and volatile customer demand — are confronting indefinite and at-times crippling uncertainty. And at the same time, healthcare workers are under tremendous pressure, with a sudden shift in the nature and scale of their collective responsibilities, but still expected to perform as consummate professionals, all while being short-staffed and ill-equipped to face the influx of patients.
However, many businesses — large and small — have stepped up to support their communities and those risking their lives every day during this crisis. TwentyTables is one such company. TwentyTables’ normal operations — feeding thousands of on-campus GWU students — suddenly ceased when the school closed. But we found a way to continue fulfilling our core mission — providing access to food for those in need — by redirecting our resources and network of committed vendors to serve thousands of meals to healthcare workers on the front lines of this pandemic.
TwentyTables ‘Feed the Frontlines’ launched in mid-March and to-date has raised over $30,000 to serve thousands of meals to healthcare workers at 10 amazing DC-area hospitals. At the same time, TwentyTables has provided its vendors, a network of over 100 small businesses, the opportunity to continue gainful and fulfilling work. But these numbers don’t just show the impact of the campaign, they demonstrate how people — even in times of uncertainty — genuinely care about their communities. And although this is the darkest hour for countless businesses, there are many ways in which they too can contribute to frontline efforts — many are — and in doing so they are finding a way to survive through service.
Small textile companies — and many small businesses on platforms like Etsy — for example, leaned into the crisis and immediately started creating and donating reusable masks and other PPE for healthcare workers, while also opening up sales to loyal customers. The retail industry also rallied, with giants like Dove, Apple and Spanx donating products and proceeds from sales to COVID-19 relief efforts alongside countless small neighborhood businesses doing the same. Hospitality has opened their doors and hearts to those impacted — whether by partnering with nonprofits like Feeding America to provide meals to people in need, or — like Hilton Hotels — hosting displaced healthcare workers and homeless alike. In each case, clarity of vision and the knowledge that profit and purpose can co-exist have created meaningful benefit to all.
It is tough for everyone to adjust to this new normal, including me. And it is easy to feel like there is nothing we can do to make things better, but we can. Although we are isolated and may feel alone, this is a time where we can come together, and we must. How businesses act now will not only determine if they survive, but for those that do will define them for decades. I and TwentyTables are determined to help. That’s who we are and what we aspire to be, a Community of Food.