Congratulations Hallie Exall

Hallie Exall is the winner of our Try Local First back to school essay contest for grades 7-12.

The Winning Essay

When shopping, I think of the benefits and drawbacks of where I choose to spend my money. I ask myself, “Is the pricing appropriate? Does it benefit the environment?” and “How will this stimulate the economy in my community?”

I live by Fairview Lane, so my family’s spending money is mostly dispersed among local, smaller businesses. This, in turn, helps East County because most of the money is kept in our community.

This benefits me, as well as others, because non-profit organizations (such as Relay for Life or the Salvation Army) have more money to reach out to those being affected by the organization’s cause.

Residents in our community benefit from local businesses by becoming employed. Environmentally, local businesses have less of an environmental footprint because they usually buy from local suppliers which saves them shipping money, while at the same time, saves the planet. Because they buy from local farmers, it helps and contributes to our local farmers. Consumers have healthier choices because our local farmers don’t use as many preservatives. They also save agricultural land, which therefore is less likely to be zoned in other ways.

With local businesses, come local business owners. They are more likely to stay, which keeps our community employed while stimulating our local economy. The more money we disperse locally, the safe our community. Our tax dollars turn into functioning police, fire and public services. The better function our services are, the safe and happier our community in East Multnomah County is.

Try Local First thanks all our contest entries for their their enthusiasm in supporting their local economy!