by Richard Ortiz | Nov 24, 2018 | Uncategorized
Yesterday, Black Friday, kicked off the holiday shopping season with major retailers offering door buster deals. While the mad dashes and fistfights in line aren’t as prevalent as in years past, Black Friday is still a major shopping day. So is Cyber Monday, when the doorbuster move online.
Nestled between these days is Small Business Saturday.
Small Business Saturday is a day designed to remind you to shop local, and shop small. Instead of giving all of your business to big box retailers on Black Friday or online megastores on Cyber Monday, give small business a chance and shop local.
In our community, many fantastic businesses owned by, operated by, and employing your friends and neighbors depend on your support. Please see what our community has to offer and shop local this Small Business Saturday, and throughout the entire shopping season. According to the SBA, 47.5% of the private workforce in the United States comes from 27.9 million small businesses.
Make no mistake, this is no act of charity. Our community is full of excellent businesses that provide quality and value. To find a local business that fits your needs, check our directory. You can search by industry and find a local solution to your needs. Make sure to follow the Freeburg Chamber of Commerce on Facebook and LinkedIn for more updates and information on our member businesses.
If you are not a member and would like to be listed in the Freeburg Chamber directory, you can become a member here.
by Richard Ortiz | Nov 16, 2018 | Uncategorized
The Freeburg Chamber of Commerce recently donated the profits of our Chili Cook Off and Fall Festival in September to two worthy local charities. The profits were evenly split between the Freeburg Food and Clothing Bank and the Utility Assistance Fund.
The Food and Clothing Bank is run by St. Paul’s United Church of Christ. The bank recently moved into a larger building 1050 N State Street. The Food and Clothing Bank helps between 30-40 families each month with food and clothing donations collected from around the Freeburg community. The bank is open the first and second Tuesday of each month from 2pm to 4pm and the third Thursday from 5pm to 7pm. To contact the Food and Clohting Bank or donate, call 618.539.5070 for more information.
The Utility Assistance Fund is also a charitable wing of St. Paul’s. They help those in need in the community struggling to pay their utility bills. Both the Food and Clothing Bank and the Utility Assistance Fund received $4,223.50 donations, equal half shares of our profits from the Chili Cook Off. In addition to these donations, the Food and Clothing Bank also held a food drive at the Chili Cook Off. Other local organizations also participated in the event.
We are thrilled the Fall Festival was able to help these worthy causes. Thank you to everyone who helped make this year’s Chili Cook Off and Fall Festival a major success. Thank you to everyone who came out and ate chili, supported their local organizations, and ultimately helped us raise these funds to help those in need.
As the holiday season approaches, we highly encourage you support these organizations and the other not-for-profit groups in our area who help the needy. As you plan your charitable donations for this season, please keep them in mind.
To get regular updates on next year’s Chili Cook Off and Fall Festival, like the Cook Off on Facebook and like the Freeburg Chamber of Commerce on Facebook. Just as a reminder, Chamber members are allowed free entry into the Cook Off, so consider that when weighing your decision to become a member.
