During the pandemic, businesses had to shift their whole mode of operation. Companies worked around the clock to find ways to combat against COVID-19.

Small businesses have struggled with the rising number of big corporations that stayed open during the pandemic. As reported by CNBC, big corporations like McDonald’s are raising their minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2024 and others are following in their footsteps. 41 percent of small business owners have said that they are currently trying to raise their own wages in order to keep up.

Companies like Amazon worked around the clock in order to ship out the surplus of packages they had and other technology companies have also done very well.

The places that worked the hardest were local businesses like restaurants in Bergen County who converted to only delivering to stay open.

John’s Boy Pizzeria in Glen Rock, New Jersey, was one of those businesses. Glen Rock High School senior Andrew Long worked as a delivery driver for them during COVID-19. They had to follow the strict guidelines that the CDC had to set up in order to get deliveries out.

Long had this to say about the COVID-19 precautions that he had to follow while working: “The rules I had to follow before the mask mandate was lifted was to wear a mask when I went to the door and keep social distancing as best as possible.”

Long talked about how during the beginning of the pandemic things were very slow, but eventually he started delivering more than ever around four months into the pandemic.

Glen Rock High School senior Matthew Orlich also worked as a delivery driver during the pandemic for Vinni’s Pizzarama in Wayne, New Jersey. He had to take on other duties at his job because they were short staffed and had less deliveries.

“I was responsible for other things besides just delivering pizzas, I answered the phone, folded pizza boxes together, and cleaned.”

Unfortunately, we continue to see and feel the negative consequences of COVID-19. We can hope that they can return to where they once were. If you are looking to support local businesses, now is the time to get involved.