On April 3, the day after Georgia governor Brian Kemp issued a statewide shelter-in-place order, the management team of a pizza parlor in Atlanta made the decision they had been dreading: to close the restaurant and convert to take-out only. Along with that decision, they furloughed nearly all of their employees. They simply didn’t have the work or working capital to keep their employees on board.

But then the team did something unusual for a business that was winding down: They started placing new orders with their suppliers. More bread, more pasta, and more sauce.

And then they gave it away. The restaurant staff set up weekly “care package” deliveries to their furloughed employees, making sure they had food to get through the stay-at-home order and furlough period.

In the face of crisis, this team turned the threat of scarcity into an act of generosity. They are not alone.

It’s a cliché to say the coronavirus has profoundly changed the way we work and live. The Small Business Administration recently estimated that one in four small businesses in the U.S. has already shut down temporarily and another 40% plan to do so in the next two weeks.

In the face of crisis, this team turned the threat of scarcity into an act of generosity. They are not alone.”

As a company that provides HR support to more than 300,000 small and midsize businesses across the country, including the pizza parlor, we have seen firsthand the struggles these business owners are facing. We have also heard the stories of selflessness and community, such as the one above. Those stories inspired us to take action.

Last month, we announced a $50,000 company-wide “stimulus package.” We distributed the funds to every employee as a cash bonus ($250) in their next paycheck. Our only ask was this: Use the cash to cover any incidental costs you incur as you shift to working from home, and then spend the rest of it supporting small businesses in your community.