Manolo’s Story

Manolo Betancur, Owner, Manolo’s Bakery, Charlotte, NC

I have been in business for 22 years and employ almost 20 people. I am so worried about what is going to happen to my business, but even more worried about what’s going to happen to my people, my employees, and their families. When I had to close, my employees lost a way to support their families. It’s impacted myself as an owner, my employees, but also the entire community. I was able to get a PPP loan after almost two months of closure, but guess what, that money is gone now.

What am I going to do now? This will continue until there is a vaccine or a cure. The uncertainty of the next few months is a huge problem for my business.

My congresspeople keep saying small businesses are the engine of our economy, but I need an answer on how you’re going to help me. It’s time to move beyond words into action. People won’t have food to eat. People won’t be able to pay their rent. We need cash in people’s hands, workers hands, not corporate CEOs hands.