As businesses are forced to close and organizations see requests for services rise, the need to help has never been greater.
Many have taken it upon themselves to support local businesses through online purchases or buying gift cards to use at a future date. Donations and offers to volunteer have helped navigate the uncertain present for area nonprofits.
But others are thinking outside the box, and Joe Tolman, owner of Bulldog Design in Keene, may have stumbled upon an idea that will make a big impact in the long run.
It was his sister Mary who first heard about a company like Bulldog in Lowell, Massachusetts who had set up a T-shirt fundraiser for area bars and restaurants.
Tolman knew he had the capability of pulling off something similar, but decided to take it the next step to include nonprofits and other businesses that could benefit from some extra money right now.
The Great Grey Tee Project includes more than 250 businesses and organization and Tolman said new ones are being added every day. The T-shirts are a simple Oxford grey with a dark grey logo printed on the front and “community support team, grey tee project member” – in all caps – printed on the left sleeve.
The shirts cost $19 with $10 of every purchase going directly to the business or organization that customers have chosen to support. Tolman said the remainder of the purchase price covers the cost of materials, to pay employees and cover processing costs.
“It’s not a fundraiser. It’s a relief effort. It’s to help people,” Tolman said. “Normally we’d sell the shirts for that amount and that’s our profit.”
Renee Davis saw the relief effort and thought the company she runs with her husband Brad, Davis Construction in Peterborough, could use the T-shirt sales to benefit someone in need.
“I just thought how great that is for small businesses right now who have their doors shut,” Davis said.
Davis said their company hasn’t felt the effects of the pandemic and are still busy, but with four kids in the ConVal School District she knew there was an initiative that could use money from shirt sales. With the great work that End 68 Hours of Hunger does to feed school children when they don’t receive free or reduced food during the school day, Davis said their need right now could be great.
“We just wanted it to go to a good cause,” Davis said. “And why not give back?”
All the proceeds from the Davis Construction shirt sales will go to End 68 Hours of Hunger. Tolman also has a number of businesses that designated the $10 generated from sales to go to the Frontline Fund that assists workers at local hospitals.
Tolman said that Erika Rosenfeld, owner of Post & Beam Brewery in Peterborough, was the first one in town to join.
Rosenfeld heard about the project from a friend, Adam Drone at Modest Man Brewing in Keene, and said the decision to join was simple.
“We’ve sold about 50 shirts so far – not a game changing financial boost, but it definitely helps,” she said. “We’ve decided to continue paying our staff during this closing, so every little bit is needed.”
For Tolman, the simple design allows them to churn out shirts much like they do for a sports team order.
“We had to keep it really simple,” he said. “It wouldn’t be a feasible project any other way.”
While business for Bulldog is “drastically down,” Tolman knows that there are a lot of business owners that are struggling even more. They still had orders coming in when the world seemed to shut down, but nothing compared to what it was before. Tolman had this urge to help, and at the same time keep his employees working.
“We thought it was a huge win for everybody,” Tolman said.
Tolman first sent out an email to about 20 to 25 clients and friends that he knew could use a boost.
“We thought maybe we’d get 50 of our clients and friends and sell maybe 1,000 shirts,” Tolman said.
But then “those people told people about it,” he said and within two days of opening the online store on March 31, they had sold 700 shirts.
Then emails and phone calls started pouring in for more businesses and organizations to join and by the cut off for the first order on Sunday, April 5 they had 3,000 shirts to make. That number grew to 4,000 through the first week and as of last Thursday, they had 4,500 orders placed.
“That’s $45,000 going into the community,” Tolman said.
Tolman said he will keep the relief effort going as long as it’s viable and so far there’s no signs of things slowing down.
“The more people we add, the more benefit it is to everybody,” Tolman said.
The latest round of ordering goes through April 19 at 9 p.m. Once all the orders are accounted for, Tolman and his crew will make the shirts the following week. Curbside pickup and shipping is available.
For businesses and nonprofits that would like to be included in the Great Grey Tee Project, email Tolman at joe@getbulldog.com. For sizing questions, call (603) 352-7217 or email karli@getbulldog.com prior to ordering.
To see all of the shirts for Monadnock region businesses and organizations, and to order, visit https://greyteeproject.itemorder.com/sale.