Jay Wilson, a local business owner, started the Albuquerque Black Economic Security and Solidarity Fund—or “BLESS” fund—in 2020.

The nonprofit organization has now given grants to 12 local Black-owned businesses.

“We initially raised $8,000, helped out a couple dozen families,” Wilson recently told KOB 4, recalling the early stages of BLESS. “And we said, look, there’s some power to this, you know, we have community, we can build community, we can make community better. And that’s when the Albuquerque BLESS fund started.”

The grants have been much appreciated as businesses try to recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“One thing about being a Black-owned business, and just in general, is that you learn how to handle adversities at a very early age,” Ayanna Zahra, owner of Ayanna Denise Skin, told KOB 4. “A lot of people started looking for Black-owned companies and also Black women-owned companies because of all the things that were coming up about.”

Zahra started the business in 2020, just before the pandemic began. Her skincare line is based on holistic methods that cater to specific skin needs. Customers get a consultation, then they fill out a skincare form to learn more about the individual’s skin, and then they’re taken back to the skincare room for comprehensive skin treatments.

Ayanna Denise Skin recently got some much-needed help from the BLESS fund.

“Skincare, everyone doesn’t really necessarily need it all the time,” Zahra said. “So after the holiday season, there’s always like a little bit of a decline, right? So what the BLESS fund did help me with is get through that hump. The BLESS fund was actually a blessing for me.