The Mount Prospect Chamber of Commerce supports the 3/50 Project, a plan that encourages residents to shop at three local brick-and-mortar businesses that they would like to see stay in the community. The program allows for residents to spend a total of $50 per month at three independently owned stores, and the revenue would return to local businesses and the community through taxes and salaries.

This plan rests on the idea that if just half the employed population spends $50 each month in locally owned businesses, this action would create more than $42.6 billion in revenue. For every $100 spent in locally owned independent stores, $68 returns to the community through taxes, payroll and other expenditures. In contrast, for national chains, only $43 remains in the community. Thousands of businesses nationwide have joined the 3/50 Project, which was created by Cinda Baxter, a small business expert from Minneapolis, in March.

The project’s mission coincides with the Chamber’s “Shop Local” campaign, which supports retail in local stores. Find local stores on the Chamber’s website under “Shop Mount Prospect.”

The Mount Prospect Chamber of Commerce seeks to promote, support and enrich the local business community through the delivery of quality services, effective communication and through the establishment of partnerships with individuals, community organizations, fellow chamber members and governmental bodies.

For more information about Mount Prospect Chamber of Commerce, call (847) 398-6616 or visit www.mountprospectchamber.org. For more information about the 3/50 Project, please visit its website at http://www.the350project.net/register.html.