Access Our Library of Free Webinars
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 stay-at-home order, issued by Pennsylvania Governor Wolf, the team at Sustainable Pittsburgh has come together to brainstorm how we can best serve our community during this unprecedented time.
Over the last several weeks, we have been activating our community and bringing together expertise to convene a series of free webinars, tailored for Sustainable Pittsburgh’s audiences. See below for the quick list of webinar topics, along with a brief summary of each, and access to the recordings and slides. We welcome you to share these resources!
- Navigating the CARES Act/Paycheck Protection Program for Small Businesses
- Tools for Holding Public Meetings & Engaging your Community Online
- Creating a “Buddy System” for At-Risk Persons: A How To for Communities
- Ensuring & Communicating Takeout-Food Safety Amid COVID-19
- Food Access for Our Communities: A Win-Win Partnership for Restaurants to Help People In Need
- In this period of business and financial uncertainty, there are a plethora of resources available to provide assistance for your business. During this webinar, you will learn about gaining access to loans like the Paycheck Protection Program (which resumed operation 4/27/2020), eligibility, timelines/turnarounds, loan forgiveness, technical support available to assist through the process, and other resources available for small businesses during this time.
- Presenters:
- Heather Thomas VP, Sr. SBA Business Development Officer, Huntington Bank
- Lindsay Cost VP, Sr. SBA Product Specialist, Huntington Bank
- Presenters:
- Access webinar recording
- Access slides for “Navigating the CARES Act”
- In this uncertain period of social distancing and office closures, connecting with your community members and providing services and information is more challenging than ever. During this webinar, Sustainable Pittsburgh highlights a few useful and accessible public engagement and information online platforms available to municipalities.
Topics covered:- Brief overview of crisis communications best practices
- Technical assistance – practical ways we can help
- Relevant platforms for public engagement
- Social media: options available and how to optimize
- Tools for hosting official municipal meetings, taking surveys of your residents and businesses, sending and receiving timely information to and from your community, and some of the best practices related to those tools.
- Access webinar recording
- Presentation slides:
- With the COVID-19 pandemic disrupting everyday life, vulnerable populations need support now more than ever before. During this one-hour webinar, hear how Lawrenceville United, Cranberry Township, and the Triboro Ecodistrict are implementing safe “buddy systems” to address this need. These initiatives can provide immediate support today, and can also build a foundation of volunteers for a lasting community-response initiative.
- Lawrenceville United’s buddy system pairs volunteers with community members who need a little extra help during this time. Volunteers can do check-in phone calls, pick up and deliver groceries/prescriptions, prepare home-cooked meals, provide pet care, and more — while taking extra safety precautions during COVID-19 — for older adults and other high-risk members of the community. Numerous city of Pittsburgh neighborhoods, the Triboro Ecodistrict, and others are replicating this program. Cranberry Township independently developed a similar system for helping at-risk community members in their municipality. Their Community Response Team was created on-the-fly by converting their mid-winter Snow Angels effort, which is designed to support older and less able-bodied residents.
- Access webinar recording
- Access slides for “Creating a ‘Buddy System'”
- The role of businesses and organizations that provide food for consumers is ever more critical. For restaurants, it’s imperative that proper safety precautions are being taken — to increase consumer confidence, as well as to protect them, employees, delivery drivers, and the livelihood of the business. During this webinar, you’ll learn safety tips and best practices that can be implemented at your establishment to ensure that safety remains paramount during this time.
- Hear from Sherree Goldstein, owner of Square Cafe, about how she’s successfully adapted business operations to meet these needs and communicated her efforts to customers.
- Safety questions are answered by experts from the Food Safety Division of the Allegheny County Health Department. Learn how they can support safe operations of your business, especially now in response to the COVID crisis.
- Access webinar recording
- Access slides for “Ensuring & Communicating Takeout-Food Safety Amid COVID-19”
- The disruption to our food system caused by COVID-19 has been felt throughout all communities. Among many challenges being faced is keeping people fed, especially our children. Since the start of the coronavirus outbreak, the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank has seen five times the need based on usual output, with demand showing no signs of slowing.
During this webinar, Sustainable Pittsburgh, the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, the Pittsburgh Food Policy Council, and Scratch Food & Beverage communicate how your restaurant can help feed people in need through the Federal Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and what compensation is available for your restaurant’s participation. The SFSP ensures children have access to nutritious meals and snacks when school is not in session.
Given the particular economic hardship brought on by COVID-19 for the restaurant industry, the number of summer meal sites needing service, and the accessibility of those sites to communities in distress, we hope to encourage connections between neighborhood restaurants and their residents. - Access webinar recording
- Access slides
- Summer Food Service Program Interest Form