When COVID first reached our state, and severe restrictions were set into place to control the spread of the pandemic, our fourth-generation family business, the Harraseeket Inn in Freeport, was hit incredibly hard, and we were forced to lay off 90% of our staff to stay afloat. We were heartbroken to have to take this step, but like the rest of the hospitality industry, we were struggling to see our path forward.

To say things were looking bleak for the business and our employees is an understatement. That is until Sen. Susan Collins helped to pass the Paycheck Protection Program. This program served as a lifeline for our business, and practically every other business I’m aware of in Maine, and it came just when we needed it most. Now, with pandemic restrictions still in place one year later, and businesses having to continue to operate at a limited capacity, Sen. Collins championed a second round of forgivable loans to help those hardest hit continue to make it through.

The Harraseeket Inn, and our faithful staff, will forever remember the support we were afforded during this impossible time by our senator, and we’re incredibly grateful for her work in Washington to help our state get through this tough time. To put it simply, without her support, we wouldn’t be in business today.  She’s our hero.