How supporting local business helps the community

We all love to save money, so the temptation to shop at big box stores is understandable. When you shop local, you are doing more than keeping those companies in business, you are helping Eastern Idaho become a such a great place to live.

“You know local businesses are really the life blood of our city,” said Mayor Jerry Merrill, of the City of Rexburg.

When you choose to shop local, you’re helping support youth programs and community organizations.

“Now, I’m not saying some of the big box stores don’t support our community because they do and we appreciate that,” Merrill said. “Our small businesses that are owned by local people are generally the ones that are really supporting a lot more of our activities and things like that, that go on in town.”

A reason why these businesses are so eager to help the community? Because they are part of the community.

Local businesses are the ones giving back to the community by volunteering.

“We have members and team members that are passionate about what’s going on and what kinds of things are being done to help our communities,” said Laura Smith, the director of public relations for Idaho Central Credit Union. “We love to support that.”

Whether that is volunteering to rebuild a home, donate food, or even sponsoring a child’s sports team.

“Because costs do incur, they do add up,” said Bryce Burtenshaw, the Vice President for Bonneville Youth Soccer League. “We couldn’t reach out to as many kids as we can.”

Sports teams like the BYSL and Rexburg Soccer Organization use local business support to sponsor tournaments and even give the kids a chance to play.

“I would say that there’s probably 20 percent of the kids who play are being sponsored through these donations,” said Burtenshaw.

It’s not just local sports and activities who get sponsorship, food pantries need help too. The Community Food Basket and soup kitchen in Idaho Falls say that without local grocery stores who donate food and funds, they would not be able to do what they do.

“There are 12,000 families this year that we are going to see at the food basket,” said Dave Manson, executive director of Community Food Basket. “There’s no way, there’s just no way we could do that without the Food Rescue Program.”

The Food Rescue Program is where local grocery stores and retail outlets give food that would otherwise go to waste and send it to the Community Food Basket and Idaho Falls Soup Kitchen.

“They run a great program where they can get food to people that really need the food,” said Skyler Oswald, the assistant store director for Broulims Fresh Foods. “We just feel that they are a well organized organization and we try to help out wherever we can.”

The Community Food Basket says each grocery store in Bonneville County helps by donating and keeping the food serving agency alive.

“So far this year we’ve recovered about 200,000 pounds of food through the Food Rescue Program,” Manson said.

Local stores see the need to help around Eastern Idaho because they know without community support, they might also not be as successful in business.

O”We want to give back to the community that helped us so much and supported us,” Oswald said. “Honestly, we wouldn’t be open for business if people didn’t choose to purchase their groceries here.”

In turn, the organizations and agencies who get the help always return the favor.

“They are valued,” said Debbie Miles, the President of Rexburg Soccer Organization. “So we put it on our shirts, our banners and we also return our support to them and come to our local businesses and support them as well.”

When local businesses do well, we all do well.

If you or someone you know is looking for sponsorship, some of these local businesses featured, have contact information on their websites.