$1 million fund established to help local businesses
Effort created for recovery from virus
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From Staff Reports
LOCK HAVEN -- Central Pennsylvania businesses can now apply for a grant to help them recover from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
Ogden Newspapers Inc., the parent company of The Express community newspaper at 9 W. Main St. in downtown Lock Haven, has established a $1 million fund to help local businesses get back to full strength by subsidizing local marketing efforts through matching grants.
"We know businesses and workers here are hurting; we're hurting, too," said Bob Rolley, publisher of The Express.
"But if we can pull together as a community, we can weather this. Here at the newspaper, we want to do everything we can to help everyone get through the pandemic and get back to work. With these matching grants, we can help local businesses tell their story as they work toward reopening and rebuilding once this virus is contained."
Businesses operating in the the newspaper's market can apply for a grant of up to $15,000 today by going online to ogdennews.com/community-grant.
Applicants will receive a response to their application within one to two business days.
The fund is open to all locally owned and operated businesses impacted by the coronavirus, Rolley said, whether they are current newspaper advertisers or not.
Grant money can be used for local print and online advertising in The Express and on www.lockhaven.com between April 1 and June 30, 2020.
"This is great news for local and area businesses," said Mike Flanagan, Clinton County Economic Partnership president. "We thank Ogden Newspapers for this fund to help the businesses to get back to full strength with a unique marketing program.
"We need all the good news we can get at this time as we all work our way through the pandemic, and this certainly is a great way for businesses to get the word out as we move forward," Flanagan added.
"A community newspaper is only as strong as the community it serves," said Robert Nutting, CEO of Ogden Newspapers.
"As a family-owned business operating for almost 130 years, we have learned that the only way to pull through the hard times is to stand with your partners and customers. We are proud to offer this assistance to the local businesses that form the backbone of the communities where we publish," Nutting added.
For more information and to apply, visit ogdennews.com/community-grant. Ogden Newspapers operates more than 40 daily newspapers across the country, plus a number of weekly newspapers and a magazine division.