Nobody, not even the United States Congress, is going to give Western New York $25 billion and a year to get its act together. That sort of largesse is reserved for car manufacturers and investment banks.

No, we’re in this mess on our own. (You’ll all be comforted to know that researchers at UB have determined that New York State officially entered a recession in the second quarter of 2008, between March and June. Good to have that nailed down.) The good news is that on our own is not so lonely a situation as it sounds: There are lots of us in this boat, and we can help each other out a little.

One good way to gird ourselves against the economic storms that loom is to keep our money in house, as best we can. Not to belittle national chain stores and, more importantly, the fine local folks who own them and work in them, but studies show that 68 cents of every dollar spent at a locally owned store stays and circulates in the community, while only 43 cents spent in national chains remains local. That 25 cent differential is significant, especially in a region with so little money to lose.

Buffalo is chock full of small, locally owned businesses. They are the reason Artvoice exists, quite frankly; they are our advertisers, and we hope you’ll do your holiday shopping with them and continue to patronize them year-round.

To that end, we’re joining 75 of our sister weekly newspapers across the country in asking our readers to pledge to spend at least $100 this holiday season in locally owned businesses.

We have 285,000 readers, so if each of them pledged and spent $100, that would pump $28,500,000 into our locally owned businesses. And $19,380,000 would stay here in Western New York, circulating among other local businesses. Weekly newspapers like Artvoice hope that this nationwide pledge campaign will create a $2.4 billion impact on small, locally owned businesses across the country. Maybe it will work, maybe it won’t—but it can’t hurt, and it might help.

To encourage folks to pledge their $100, we have a few carrots to offer:

■ If you make the pledge at Artvoice.com, we’ll enter you into weekly drawings to win ski passes, restaurant gift certificates, discounts at local stores, tickets to the theater and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, among other swag—we’re emptying the vaults on this effort, so sign up today.

■ Further, we’ll offer a special prize package to the local shopper who spends the most in locally owned businesses on Black Friday, November 28. Keep your receipts, tally them, and let us know how much you spent (you can email editorial@artvoice.com). If you’re in the top five, we’ll ask you to send us your receipts, which will be scrutinized by a panel of impartial judges. If you’re the winner, you’ll be eating, drinking, skiing, and who knows what else for free—all courtesy of Artvoice.

Want to know which businesses are locally owned and thus qualified to receive your $100? Here are a few tips:

■ Check out Buffalo First, a coalition of 200 individuals, organizations, and local independent businesses committed to building a more local, green and fair economy in Buffalo. Artvoice and Buffalo First are partnering in this holiday season effort, and they maintain a terrific database for sourcing goods from local sources on their Web site: buffalofirst.org.

■ This season Buffalo First is selling coupon books: For a mere $10, you get a book filled with special offers and discounts at nearly 200 local businesses. The coupon book will be on the streets the first week in December, and you can pick one up at participating retailers or by visiting buffalofirst.org.

■ When you're done on this page, head over here and have a look at our directory of advertisers. Restaurants, bars, museums, gift shops, clothiers, health clubs, spas—these businesses are your neighbors. Check out their ads, and I think you’ll see they make there own arguments as to why they beat shopping at national chains and malls. Stop in and tell them Artvoice sent you.

■ Visit the Neighborhood Collective at 810 Elmwood Avenue. This year Artvoice has partnered with the Neighborhood Collective to exhibit the work of 30 regional artists over 30 days—the entire holiday shopping season. The work is for sale at reasonable prices. These people, too, are your neighbors: Help them out, and bring home a unique piece of art.

Keep your money nearby. You earned it.

—geoff kelly

Ready to Pledge? Click Here!