SANTA ANA (CBSLA) — Help is finally available for small businesses that have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. However, some small business owners are struggling to get a loan under the federal government’s new paycheck protection plan.

Ingardia Brothers produce distributor in Santa Ana employs 225 people. Owner Sam Ingardia said he is doing everything in his power to keep each one of them.

“I have never laid off one employee in 47 years and I’m not about to do it now,” Ingardia said.

Ingardia Brothers primarily supplies restaurants, and the COVID-19 outbreak has caused business to plummet. Ingardia said that income is down 70 percent, and he needs a loan in order to pay his workforce.

Ingardia said he has used Wells Fargo for decades, but he was recently denied a federal loan from the bank that would help him keep his business afloat because he employs more than 50 workers.