Apologies for this one-time-only off-topic (OT) message, and apologies
to those tired of everything related to COVID-19...
Some on this list have been rendered unemployed due to the COVID-19
pandemic, but outside of the IT industry, restaurants and the "gig
economy" are among those hardest hit. Those of us fortunate enough to
still be employed and receiving paychecks should be concerned about all
those who have been forced out of employment all over the world, so I'm
going to throw out some (hopefully) constructive ideas...
Two initiatives that I like are:
1. appeals from delivery services like Grubhub and Uber Eats to support
local restaurants by ordering out for delivery often
2. "gift card" purchases offered by some restaurants
Many restaurants are trying to survive by offering take-out and delivery
services. Ride sharing gig workers are also struggling. So ordering
delivered meals is a solution to help both, even if you have plenty of
food at home, and even if you can get there to pick up the take-out order.
The downside to food delivery, of course, is possible COVID
contamination, either at the restaurant or during delivery. Personally,
I tend to apply the reasoning I use with air travel, which is that the
aircrew protects us because they also want to survive. Of course there
are clear flaws in this analogy. This is something about which nobody
can provide certainty, and so it has to be a personal decision.
But the "gift card" idea is even better and certainly safer. Many
restaurants are offering gift cards for purchase now, redeemable when
the pandemic is over. This provides cash flow now to keep the business
running. Of course there is a gamble; the business may still close,
possibly leaving gift card holders stranded. You must decide if it is a
gamble worth taking. Rather than using the gift cards myself, I
personally intend to donate my purchased restaurant gift cards to
shelters for domestic violence victims, or simply give them to
friends/family. If a restaurant you like isn't yet selling gift cards,
perhaps you can suggest it to them?
For those of us fortunate enough to still be collecting a paycheck,
please be aware of those who are no longer collecting a paycheck through
no fault of their own, and help them.
For anyone having financial difficulties due to unemployment, please
reach out to family and friends, because we care and we might (or might
not) be able to help.