Antioch, CA – The Antioch Chamber of Commerce recently started a program to give back to Antioch businesses called “The Chamber Cares.”
The Chamber Cares program allows the Chamber CEO Sean Wright to visit Antioch businesses that have recently been vandalized or had other hardships arise and help with a check for $500 to defray the costs of clean up, fix up and repair. Over the last few weeks, the Chamber has reached out to help locally owned and operated businesses Cocina Medina and Grocery Outlet.
Rafael and Ali have owned and operated Cocina Medina for over twenty years and after having survived the shutdowns and new mandates are having new struggles. First the freezer goes out and then the hot water heater had problems that required them to tear up the floor and fix pipes which required them to shut down for a week. The Chamber saw the posts on Facebook and took the opportunity to stop and let them know that “The Chamber Cares.”
On Friday October 29th, 2021, Grocery Outlet of Antioch was unfortunately the target of an armed robbery which cleared the till of a few registers and caused the store to close earlier than normal for a few evenings in a row to help keep the employees feeling safe. The amount of money lost was more than $500 but not enough to claim for insurance because of the deductible. The Antioch Grocery Outlet store is independently owned and operated by Pat and Maritza Choa. Pat was busy as a cashier when the Chamber stopped by to let him know that the Antioch Chamber Cares. He was very appreciative. Thankfully, the suspects who robbed over twenty-five stores in 90 days in Pittsburg, Antioch, Concord, Brentwood, Bay Point and Clayton, were apprehended on November 3rd.
The Antioch Chamber knows that $500 is not going to enough to determine whether a store will be able to stay open or close but the love and compassion that goes along with it means the world to these businesses. Sometimes you know and feel that a program is hitting the mark and this one does.
About the Chamber
Since 1938, the Antioch Chamber of Commerce has been providing services to local businesses to help them –and our city – succeed. The mission of the Chamber is to promote the Antioch Community, to represent and advocate for businesses with government, to help businesses to grow and to thrive through networking and educational opportunities, and to help create economic growth and jobs for our region. For more information about the Chamber, its members, and its services, visit www.antiochchamber.com.
