Everywhere you look, Iowans are uniting like never before. While times may be tough right now, we’re seeing it won’t stop the great people in the state from supporting one another. Many have taken to social media to help those in their communities, share helpful resources or to simply highlight something positive to bring joy to others. This Week in Social will round-up the best of #IowansUnite and share these uplifting stories.
THANK YOU to all of our customers for helping us raise $248,000 during our MDA Round Up! Sending kids to summer camp looks a little different this year, but we are thrilled that these funds will support MDA’s virtual summer camp experience and local MDA Care Centers! pic.twitter.com/cRT7kQCcY1
— Fareway Stores (@Fareway_Stores) April 28, 2020
Fareway Stores, Inc. is a Midwestern company operating 122 grocery store locations in Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska and South Dakota. The Boone, IA-based chain raised $248,0000 for the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s virtual summer camp experience and local MDA Care Centers.
Laura Reuther, a member of MDA’s Volunteer Leadership Committee, knows just how important these services are to those suffering from muscular dystrophy and related muscle diseases. “Lives are deeply impacted in many ways,” she said, “by MDA’s services, research activities, and Summer Camps.”
Although sending children to the camp will look different this year, these funds will still support local kids and families living with muscular dystrophy.
Support Small Businesses 5 Day Challenge - Friday https://t.co/ln3pvsvuNa Reach out to 5 small businesses and send them a caring message. #Back2Biz
— IowaSBDC (@IowaSBDC) May 1, 2020
It’s no secret that times have been tough for small businesses. America’s Small Business Development Center Iowa launched a five-day challenge on social media to help support small businesses in communities across the state, ranging from monetary help to simply sharing some kind words.
Followers on social media accepted the new challenges each day and helped out their favorite
small businesses.
- Monday: Choose three businesses to comment on their social media and share.
- Tuesday: Buy online from an artisan that can no longer attend a market.
- Wednesday: Write a Google review.
- Thursday: Buy an online gift card for later use.
- Friday: Reach out to five small businesses and send them a caring message.
With the help of several businesses, a Waterloo man is turning recyclable bottles and cans into food for nursing home staff.https://t.co/a44ENG7tkQ pic.twitter.com/VyS6XSMRdQ
— TEF Iowa (@TEFIowa) April 29, 2020
Restaurant manager Jamie Mangric put out a call on social media encouraging residents to leave their 5-cent cans and bottles at his home in Waterloo. Mangrich planned to return the beverage containers and use the proceeds to show appreciation for nursing home staff. The next day, his garage was full, and bags were also filling up his yard.
By Mangrich’s estimation, he collected between $500 to $600 worth of items last week. He also partnered with Metro Area Redemption of Cedar Falls to help with collection efforts.
The money raised helped purchase pizza and other meal choices from local restaurants. Marco’s Pizza agreed to match Mangrich’s donation, while Waffle Stop, Jay’s Home Style and Rudy’s Tacos are also helping with the effort.
Iowa City startup @rantizosprays is using its drone spraying platform to sanitize open areas and seating for the return of events that have been closed as a result of COVID-19.
— clayandmilk (@clayandmilk) April 28, 2020
Read the full story at https://t.co/DBCqg3SuVx pic.twitter.com/o0gwr1mh3a
Rantizo Solutions, a startup specializing in agricultural drone spraying, shifted to help solve a new problem. The Iowa City agtech company is using their drones to provide sanitization for large venues, including stadiums with thousands of open area seats.
“We are very much an agricultural drone spraying company and we’ve built our reputation on the ability to deliver solutions in the field,” said Michael Ott, CEO of Rantizo. “It just so happens with everything going on right now, our technology has the ability to deliver solutions in another application. When situations arise like these, innovation is key to overcoming them.”
Iowa Culture App Provides Virtual Activities to Explore Iowa
The Iowa Culture app is just the thing you need to explore more than 3,500 sites across Iowa’s 99 counties from the comfort of your home. The mobile app allows you to have a fun and interactive experience while discovering art, culture and history destinations from across the state.
You can search by categories and locations, take featured tours, use mapping tools and save favorites to create your own adventure across Iowa. Iowa Culture is a project by the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs and can be downloaded for free from Apple or Google Play stores or by launching the desktop version.
