Faced with months of COVID-19-related revenue shortfalls, many San Mateo County businesses have looked at county grant programs as a lifeline for survival, helping to keep staff employed and rents paid.Â
Adna Berryman, Makinya Ward and Debbie Newman, all struggling business owners, come from vastly different industries. Berryman has spent half his life repairing cars while Ward has dedicated her life to child care and Newman has made a career out of catering. Still, when the pandemic struck in March, they each felt the world restrict and their revenue immediately dwindled.Â
Having been in the food industry since she was 18, Newman of Debbieâs Creative Catering, said sheâs nowhere near ready to retire, but COVID-19 and the financial hardship it brought to her 28-year-old business forced her to consider closing up shop.Â