BANGOR, Maine — On backingbangor.com a short video reminding one of Maine's largest communities of the tough times its been through and how it got through it.
"As a community, Bangor is bold, Bangor is beautiful, and Bangor is brave," stated on the website.
Mainers helping Mainers, we hear it all the time. But Sutherland and Weston Marketing Communications in Bangor is hoping that continues through the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We all started collectively asking, how can we help?" Lisa Sturgeon from Sutherland and Weston said.
She and her team quickly created #BackBangor a way to excite the community on social media, and remind them to shop local.
"Backing Bangor is just a hashtag but we're looking at ways to support the community as a whole," Sturgeon said.
Now there are resources for businesses, shoppers, and Mainers in need.
Things like a virtual food drive.
"Retailers normally give us about 70 percent of the food that we distribute and because grocery stores are struggling to keep up with the demand right now we're not seeing as many donations coming in," Erin Fogg from Good Shepard Food Bank said.
She added there's always a need for food, but even more so now so Good Shepard is inviting the community to create virtual food drives and share them on social media. Then, people can donate money and Good Shepard can send troops to buy food for Mainers in need.
From virtual food drive to book buys that credit a local brick and mortar.
"So when you purchase an audiobook through our audiobook site, it benefits our store," owner of the Briar Patch, Gibran Graham said.
Graham added Mainers typically shop locally anyway, but it's even more important now.
"So that you can support all the small businesses that you love. That is a part of our economic engine in our communities," he said.
Other options to support the local economy include buying gift cards to your favorite places, donate to the United Way, order takeout and pick it up curbside and as stated on backingbangor.com, Remember together we will get through this.
At NEWS CENTER Maine, we’re focusing our news coverage on the facts and not the fear around the illness. To see our full coverage, visit our coronavirus section, here: /coronavirus
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