NASHUA – Greater Nashua and Souhegan Valley businesses now may apply for a grant to help them recover from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

Ogden Newspapers Inc., the parent company of The Telegraph, The Cabinet, Hollis-Brookine Journal and Merrimack Journal, has established a $1 million fund to help local businesses get back to full strength by subsidizing local marketing efforts through matching advertising dollars.

“We know businesses and workers here are hurting; we’re hurting, too,” Telegraph Publisher and General Manager Heather Goodwin Henline said. “As I wrote on last Sunday’s editorial page, ‘we are in this together.’ We hope readers have seen the in-depth local coverage amid COVID-19 and the good news features, but we wanted and needed to do more.”

“If we can pull together as a community, we can weather this. Here at The Telegraph and all of our local newspapers serving southern New Hampshire, we want to do everything we can to help everyone get through the pandemic and get back to work. With these matching grants, we can help local businesses tell their story as they rebuild,” she continued.

Businesses operating in our southern New Hampshire market each may apply for a grant of up to $15,000 today at ogdennews.com/community-grant. Applicants will receive a response to their application within one to two business days.

The fund is open to all locally owned and operated businesses impacted by the coronavirus, Goodwin Henline said, whether or not they are current Telegraph, Cabinet or Journal advertisers. Grant money may be used for local print and online advertising in The Telegraph and all of our print publications as well as for digital packages online at www.nashuatelegraph.com from April 1 to June 30, 2020.

“This is a tremendous opportunity, especially for small businesses that are the fabric of our community,” said Greater Nashua Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Kate Luczko. “This will give them the opportunity to either be creative and redefine what they are doing during this uncertain time or, when things return to the new normal, to tell people about who they are and what they do. It (the grant) is definitely creative and innovative.”

Wendy Hunt, president and CEO of the Greater Merrimack-Souhegan Valley Chamber of Commerce, echoed Luczko thoughts, adding that the GMSV Chamber is working with both member and non-member businesses in these challenging times.

“The grant program is helping to lead the way and setting an example of what can be done in the community to benefit businesses and help people,” Hunt said. “This is a tremendous benefit that will go a long way in assisting our fellow business community members get their message out and get back on their feet when this subsides.”

“We really have been connecting with one another – other chambers – on a daily basis,” Hunt added. “We all are pooling our resources to help everyone. The Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives also is working together to support one another. It’s really impressive, and I am proud to be a part of the 40-something chamber executives that have shot out to the foreground of coming up with ideas for our members that help everyone in the community.”

Now, more than ever, The Telegraph and our other local newspapers in the Granite State continue to offer not only award-winning coverage, but also a way for businesses to communicate their vital messages at this time, Goodwin Henline said.

“A community newspaper is only as strong as the community it serves,” said Robert Nutting, CEO of Ogden Newspapers. “As a family owned business operating for almost 130 years, we have learned that the only way to pull through the hard times is to stand with your partners and customers. We are proud to offer this assistance to the local businesses that form the backbone of the communities where we publish.”

For more information and to apply, visit ogdennews.com/community-grant.

Questions also may be directed to Goodwin Henline, who is available locally, at 603-594-1204 or via email at hhenline@nashuatelegraph.com.

Ogden Newspapers operates more than 40 daily newspapers across the country, plus a number of weekly newspapers and a magazine division.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: This content is being provided for free as a public service to our community during the coronavirus outbreak. Please support local journalism by subscribing to The Telegraph at https://home.nashuatelegraph.com/clickshare/checkDelivery.do;jsessionid=40C089D96583CD7318C1C1D9317B6162.

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