5 Ways to Support the Bozeman Community During COVID-19

1. Support Our Local Businesses and Put Your Money Where It Matters

One of the most important things we can do right now is to support our local businesses. There are so many local restaurants offering food delivery, curbside pick-up and take-out. When you are deciding what to eat for dinner, consider choosing a locally owned restaurant. Click here for a list of Bozeman restaurants that are open for delivery & take-out. For other food delivery options, consider Claudia’s Mesa, who will deliver a freshly frozen home-cooked meal to your front door and then text you when it’s there to eliminate contact. Farm to Cart is a wonderful food subscription service that will deliver a selection of locally grown & made food items to your door each week. Whole and Nourished meal delivery is another great local option to get homemade meals straight to your door!

2. Respect the Special Shopping Times

Several of our local grocery stores are setting aside special shopping hours for members of our community who are most at risk at this time. Please respect these time slots and stay away from the stores during this time to minimize worry & risk for our senior citizens and those with compromised health. Alberton’s special shopping hours are Tuesday & Thursday from 7:00 – 9:00 a.m. Smith’s are 7:00 – 8:00 a.m, Monday, Wednesday & Friday, and Walmart has senior hours on Tuesdays from 6:00-7:00 a.m. If you are not comfortable leaving your home for supplies & errands, there are a number of wonderful local businesses like On The Move and Budget Blinds who are offering free grocery & errand trips for the elderly & compromised.

3. Stop Hoarding & Give to Those in Need

These are uncertain times. But when panic spreads our problems become much more severe. Please consider only taking what you & your family need while shopping. Do not hoard. The more you unnecessarily buy, the less there is for others who need it. Our stores & grocers are working diligently to restock our supplies, and they will. If you have a large supply of items people are looking for, please consider sharing your goods. Check Facebook groups like Ask Bozeman & Secret Bozeman to find people who are in need of items, or consider donating to places like the Warming Center. Click here for our list of 10 ways to volunteer in Bozeman.

4. Give Back If You Are Able

Bozeman Mutual Aid is looking for volunteers to help deliver groceries, prescriptions and any other support to the elderly & immunocompromised as safely as possible. They have also set up a donation fund to get money into the hands of those in our community who need it most at this time. There is also a Bozeman based group that is sewing face masks for our local medical workers & first responders. If you would like to take part, visit their Facebook group here. The Gallatin Valley Food Bank has transitioned its food distribution to a drive-through service and they do need volunteers to help with sorting & packing the food boxes. Please only consider this if you are healthy, have not been exposed to someone who is ill, and are not in a high-risk category. They will be taking all necessary precautions to ensure that volunteers and workers stay safe and healthy. For other volunteer opportunities and need, visit the GV Community Support Volunteers Facebook Group by clicking here or check the HRDC Volunteer Opportunities.

5. While You May Not Feel at Risk, Be Mindful of Those Who Are

If you are in good health, you may not be too concerned about contracting the virus. You may feel that you can still go out, have contact with others and go about your days. But while you may not be at risk, your risky behavior may put others in danger. The sooner we can stop the spread of this virus, the sooner life can get back to normal. Please do your part to minimize your contact with others, for yourself and for the community. Many of our local gyms, studios and trainers are now offering online classes. You can take live classes online with Your Yoga Bozeman, or watch recorded classes with Our Yoga. The Ridge is offering online exercise classes for its members and Advanced Counseling of Bozeman is offering telehealth counseling sessions to those who qualify.

We recently sat down with Bridget Wilkinson, director of the Bozeman Area Community Foundation to talk about ways Bozeman is coming together during this time. Click to listen on Spotify or iTunes.

Stay safe & healthy Bozeman. We are in this together!

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