PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — During this pandemic a number companies, government agencies and just everyday people have been trying to help out small businesses.

But how long will that last and will there be a second wave of that generosity?

If the initiative Grow Financial Federal Credit Union is any indication, there’s a chance small business may have something to look forward to. 

When the pandemic began, Grow Financial officials decided to dip into their budget for marketing and advertising and donate it to small businesses that they picked at random. A large majority of those businesses were restaurants.  

Grow Financial Federal Credit Union Marketing Senior VP, Jared Barr explained how they approached those small business with their idea to give back.

“If I showed up to your business and said hey, I’d like to give you $5,000 and for as long as that lasts, we really only want to ask in turn that you give everybody free coffee,” he said.

For Fabrica Pizza, it was in the form of pizza and right on time for their small business and 20 employees. 

“The fact that we’re getting this extra money it was so special to us because it gives us this little extra we can give to them,” Fabrica owner, Estefania Greco said. “We’re basically looking to cover food cost for this event and then all the rest we will help our employees and give them that extra that they really need.”

Pulling off the massive order of free pizzas was a different story.

“She said we’re gonna give you guys the amount worth of 267 pizzas. I was like, Bri, how are we gonna do it? How are we gonna make this happen? I’ve never even sold 267 pizzas,” Greco said.

But Greco came up with a plan to give away those 267 pizzas on Wednesday through an online ordering system and Grow Financial Federal Credit Union handed over the bread.

The bank did the same for a number of other businesses who don’t even have an account with them. Pop Goes the Waffle was one of those companies. 

“It’s amazing that they thought to do that and had the budget to do it, especially in these uncertain times when you don’t know what’s going to happen and I’m sure they have financial concerns as well with customers and money moving,” said Pop Goes the Waffle owner, Sara Fludd. 

That raises the question. Will that kind of money be moved around again as this pandemic continues to impact small businesses? Grow financials money runs out this Weekend after the last waffle is popped at Fludd’s event. But Grow financial isn’t ruling out the chance of cooking up more opportunities in the future for small businesses.