Wall of Hope - Share Positivity with the Square Community ❤️

[aarontw]

Hi Seller Community! 

We are all navigating a new world and figuring out how we function within it. While we can not offer hugs and stand physically united together at this moment, on this post, we wish for you to write and spread positivity and love, and show your solidarity and encouragement during this difficult time. 

Do you have a message you’d like to share with the Community? We’d love to have you share it as a reply below. Posts can be anything with positivity, love, or hope. A great post could be a call to action, a picture, a story, a suggestion, a question, an idea or anything else you’d like to share.

Please do click the “reply” button below and share some positivity with the Community.

[Tom]

Tagging the folks who've already reached out in @nelmur's photo post: Square Studio Request: Share photos of your business. Here's another space where you can share some more positivity and follow along for inspiration. Feel free to drop in with an image or note of encouragement — and thank you for looking out for each other. 🙏

@porktaco, @Barbershop011, @Dblock_thebarbe, @JimRomano, @irmg, @WaxingByBecky, @markmorg, @Yemisi, @RevengeFantasyC, @summyscreationz, @splendiferous, @LaylasCoolPops, @AmysCandlesLLC, @Bubblez-Studio, @Popper-Razzi 

[Yemisi]

The online store feature has been a great blessing to us. After we closed the store due to the shutdown, we started making reusable face masks and we sell them on the online store. We’ve been selling to companies and individuals, wholesale and retail. We have hope that we will re open the store soon. Thank you square.

Our website address is www.globalafricancreates.com. 
@Tom 

[aarontw]

These masks are amazing! I know folks on our photo team were admiring them. Thank you for sharing more!

[kitchentocause]

Beautiful masks! 

[Lalett]

I am so glad to be apart of a community that only wants to share positivity. As a small business owner, it can get tough when you rely on vendor events to make sales or gain new clients. But, COVID has taught the power of the internet and how to use it at what it was meant for. Creating connections and sharing the love. I hope everyone has a great day!

[kitchentocause]

Hope you have a great day too!

[cellspitfire]

This past weekend I was able to participate in the painting of a mural during a vigil prepared by the city Mayor and a two of my artists friends held in Annapolis, MD. We asked residents to step outside their homes and "shine a light on racism and injustice" for 8 minutes and 46 seconds. Hundreds of people gathered for the memorial and vigil to honor the lives of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor. The diversity at the vigil is a signal change is soon to come, but it’s no time to rest until it happens. Here is a photo of finished mural which is located Downtown Annapolis on the city dock.

[aarontw]

@cellspitfire  - Beautiful work on this mural. Thank you for sharing it with the Community. I do think change is coming. Art like you've created here will help to usher it in. 

[kitchentocause]

Incredible mural. Thank you for sharing this. I wanted to share a "From Kitchen To Cause" podcast episode you may enjoy featuring a member of our community, Greg Rales of Red Gate Bakery in the East Village of NYC. Greg tells his story of how he shares his founding cause of #bakers-against-racism and #blacktranslivesmatter at https://www.fromkitchentocause.online/red-gate-bakery-on-standing-up-for-social-causes/

[AMD76]

Creating with love to spread love!

[kitchentocause]

Love it!!

[cellspitfire]

Great work Afi! I love the colors and the details on the flowers. Excellent 😉

[elleek]

During this time I have had the privilege of working with my coaching clients in a beautiful and safe virtual space. (And of course using the Invoice function...) Today, though, was special. I had the opportunity to facilitate a workshop on Thriving with over 30 people (ages 16-35) in Morocco. The notion that we are all in this together, regardless of where we are on the planet, was palpable. The notion that everyone can thrive was real.  I was reminded of what someone told me (a Square seller of masks also): "We have a real opportunity, as a nation, to fall deeper into our humanity, if we would only allow ourselves to." Today I had the honor of watching that happen half way around the world.  

So our challenge is how can each of us 'fall deeper into our own humanity'?

[kitchentocause]

That is inspiring that you are finding creative ways to bring people together digitally and to share thriving

[MLorainArt]

I love seeing so many people in the community coming together to support each other. As 2020 takes one dump after another with covid and now this racial debacle, I see more and more people going out of their way to lift each other up whether its with compliments, well wishes, supporting small businesses or simply checking in. I think this is also the year for rebuilding family bonds and for all of that, I am thankful. 

[Bubblez-Studio]

Bubblez Studio is working on a donation box of inspiring greeting cards. We know there are people that needs their spirits lifted! we also are working on a lot of faith cards and other uplifting cards for purchase on our site! visit https://bubblez-studio.square.site or drop a follow on insta @bubblez_studio for updates on the donation project or if you know a good place that could use some cards! Thanks

[Helen]

I hope your donation box project is going well @Bubblez-Studio! These cards are lovely! ✨

[kitchentocause]

Such a special idea!

[pessosices]

It's been super hard to find positivity in things over the last few weeks, so it's amazing to see so many great messages of hope and good from all of you. Thank you so much for putting this up, and for spreading some joy.

[julianascater]

I want to share a nice story about my business, family and how blessed we have been in our community during this difficult time. As well as how we have immersed ourselves in the community and felt an obligation to give back.

I operate a catering company called Juliana's Catering in Sudbury MA.  We have done well over the years and then literally went from over 500 events per year to zero in mid March. Undeterred, we own a few mobile brick pizza ovens so we set up a pop up food stand on my property which is on a busy road in our town, set up a Square store in 3 days and started advertising it hoping we could sell a few pizzas. What has transpired is amazing, as our community has overwhelmingly supported us and we are selling hundreds of pizzas each week which will allow us to survive until we can start catering events again. 

We were so moved by this support from our community and decided we needed to give back so we have launched a program called Slices of Hope where we provide free meals each week to needy families in our community as well as local first responders. We accept contributions for this program and match all contributions plus some. We've raised thousands of dollars for this so far and will continue this program as long as there is a need. Here is the link to the program:

https://my-site-107577-101946.square.site/product/slices-of-hope/182

Stay safe and be well! 

Nick

Here are a few photos of our set up: