We're partnering to give grants to nine Whitesburg businesses

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented enormous challenges for small businesses. It’s no different here in Whitesburg:

“In very small communities, especially rural areas, we really need the help,” our own Daryl Royse recently told the New York Times.

We’re proud to be part of the effort to provide it. We’re excited to announce that with our partners at the Letcher County Tourism Commission and CANE Kitchen, we’ve awarded nine grants to support local businesses here in town.

We selected grantees on the basis of businesses’ planned and existing adaptations to COVID-19. We also considered whether they had already received financial assistance from other sources, their focus on long-term resilience, and their efforts to keep our community safe from the ongoing spread of the coronavirus.

Especially in regions like ours — where communities have seen their Main Streets go dark and their populations shrink — we know the stakes of rejuvenating and sustaining the places that we call home. We’re tremendously grateful to the Community Economic Development Initiative of Kentucky and Journey Charitable Foundation for the funding to directly support businesses in Whitesburg. 

We hope these small business grants will catalyze resources for local businesspeople and residents alike — the people who have the most at stake in Whitesburg’s future. We encourage you to patronize and support each and every one of the businesses below.